I know, Ke$ha is cool and so are all the other musicians out
there singing about partying like there is no tomorrow. When I was a kid, we
had our anthems too….”Forever Young” by Alphaville and a few others come to
mind. They made a great case for
indulging in the moment and sometimes even engaging in a little reckless
abandon. I don’t how many times I said “Carpe
Diem” before doing something somewhat stupid. Fortunately, I had some common
sense and the times I didn’t, the universe was forgiving and gave me a few
opportunities to wise up, opportunities that are never guaranteed.
While these songs are fun to dance to and I do think it is ok, even necessary sometimes to let loose a little, you’ve got to keep it in
perspective and keep it in check. The reality is the majority of you and your
friends aren’t going to die young—in fact, the majority of you are going to
live very long lives. Don’t let yourself get sucked into this flawed mentality
and let one night of fun compromise your health, your physical capabilities or
even your reputation (Facebook and future employers are watching). People who
had a great night but are now stuck in a wheel chair or got pregnant or now
have an STD aren’t sitting around saying “Sure I’ve got problems now, but that one
night of reckless fun was totally worth it.” Instead, they are sitting around
saying, “Wow….how could I have been so stupid?”
Don’t let that be you. At some point “live like you’re going to die
young” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy anyway. You've got too bright of a future to throw it away like that!
I do believe you should embrace the present, but that is
more about making the most of every second by being happy, seizing opportunities
and being grateful, not making spontaneous decisions that will negatively
affect your future forever. One night of fun is not worth a lifetime of sorrow. Dance, have fun, be happy and live your life fully,
just know what it really means to do that and don’t be careless.
As always,
Love,
Mom
