Shipwrecked, middle-aged men

There was another capacity in Russell, however, that was antithetical to Wittgenstein's character -- namely, his sublime ability to ignore certain unpleasant areas of his life.

This was not a mere difference in temperament; it was also a function of their difference in age. Unlike Wittgenstein, Russell had attained the age at which men are adept at psychically treading water, treading for days and sometimes weeks on end. Emotionally, he might be lost in the middle of the North Atlantic, but it wasn't so bad. Cozily bobbing along as a wave hits ... pfffftttt -- gasping. Then another wave. And another.

At times it was hardly a dog paddle, barely keeping his head above water. And lately Russell was so busy swimming along that he hadn't noticed this new current that was slowly sweeping him out to sea. Besides, it was this fear, this heroic struggling in the foam of experience -- this was the fatal discharge whereof life is created. This was what he lived for. And, blast it, the point was, he was swimnming. Yes, in a pinch all Noah's critters swim, but none tread water better than shipwrecked, middle-aged men.

-- Bruce Duffy, The World as I Found It, p. 82.