Another long-time lurker, first-time poster saying Hello.
I thought I would ask the bright brains here for some input and maybe make for some good thinkin’ all around.
I don’t know what the exact word is for these. But I am fascinated by all kinds of short lists of wisdom, even the ones I might not agree with. The Ten Commandments, the Bill of Rights, the full Serenity Prayer, etc.
The magic is in the brevity. In those dark times in your life when you really need some perspective, you can’t really remember pages and pages of text. And any rule of thumb that takes more of a sentence isn’t really a rule of thumb at all.
Two examples of what I am thinking of are Desiderata and Wear Sunscreen (another gift from the Chicago Tribune, besides the SDMB). I know that both screeds are so much a part of pop culture that they seem almost parodies of themselves now but they are recognizable examples of what I am posting about and still contain gems of wisdom.
OK, so what I am asking for is for interested posters to post their own Desiderata, advice to a young person going out into the big wide world. Teach them what your scars taught you.
I’ll start…
[ul]
[li]As you get older, you’ll realize you can change yourself much more easily than the world around you.[/li][li]Try not to stay angry, otherwise, use anger like a scalpel; precisely, quickly, and only to remove the bad from what is otherwise good.[/li][li]In the end, all that is left of us is memory, whether genetic (our children’s DNA), personal (actual memories of us living) or expressed by our works or deeds. Decide now how you want to be remembered.[/li][li]If it won’t be a problem tomorrow, it’s not really a problem today.[/li][li]A gracious winner is *allowed *to win more battles.[/li][li]Don’t worry about keeping secrets. Live a life that doesn’t require secrets.[/li][/ul]
That’s all I can think of for now.
Don’t take a tour. Travel on your own or with a friend. Go where they don’t speak English. Stay in their hotels. Go to their small towns. Travel as much as you can while you’re young and in good health.
Don’t buy a lot of things. Your possessions will start to own you.
But do get a refillable leather notebook. Write everything in it. Your poetry – your grocery lists – your Hemingway notes – recipes – phone numbers.
“If you can’t say anything pleasant, don’t say anything at all.” Yikes, Mom was right – turns out this doesn’t mean “be a namby-pamby ninny with no personality,” just “life is more enjoyable if you don’t voice every asshole comment that pops into your head.” Constructive criticism is more effective when it’s couched tactfully, rather than as a personal attack.
“Even the village idiot has something of wisdom to share…etc”
“Live every day like it’s the last day of your life…etc”
Or, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life…etc”
Is there a particular reason you are seeking platitudes, which are essentially meaningless in their own essence, and nobody takes them seriously at all?
On a long cross-country trip years ago, I took my Dad and was reminded of one of his cardinal travel rules: Thou shalt not eat at any chain restaurant while traveling.
We traveled for several days; At each mealstop he insisted on getting off the highway and wandering around until we found a unique local eatery. It was amazing how much that added to the trip.
If I may carry this a little further…
Some friends of mine once traveled to the west coast in their restored Caddy convertible following 2 simple rules:
No maps
No interstates
They said it was one of the best journeys they’d ever made. They just wandered from small town to small town, always trending west. It took several days.
I’m going to have VunderWife cross-stitch these for me sometime:
Jimmy Buffet’s
Margaritaville Lessons of Life
Lesson One:
Never forget – they are always the enemy.
Lesson Two:
Just remember, assholes are born that way, and they usually don’t change.
Lesson Three:
You do not want to go to jail.
Lesson Four:
When you take your job seriously, you’re in trouble.
Lesson Five:
It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad.
Lesson Six:
If you decide to run with the ball, count on fumbling and getting the shit knocked out of you; but never forget how much fun it is just to be able to run with the ball.
