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dharmagates |
Kurt Vonnegut's
commencement address to MIT grads
If I could offer you only one tip for the future,
sunscreen would be it. The long-term effects
of sunscreen have been proven by scientists, whereas
the rest of my advice has no basis more than my
experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never
mind. You will not understand the power and beauty
of your youth until they've faded. But, trust me, in
twenty years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and
recall, in a way you can't grasp now, how much
possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are not as fat as you imagined.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but remember,
that worrying does about as much good as trying to
solve an algebra equation by chewing gum.
The real troubles in your life are likely to be things
that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that
blindside you at
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't
put up with people that are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time with jealousy.
Sometimes you're ahead; sometimes you're behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the complements you receive. Forget the
insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep old love letters.
Throw away old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with
your life. Some of the most interesting people I
knew at 20 didn't know what they were going to do
with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 yr.
olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're
gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't
Maybe you'll divorce at 40, and maybe you'll do the
FUNKY CHICKEN on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do don't congratulate yourself, or berate
yourself too much. Your choices are half chance.
So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body and use it every way you can. Don't be
afraid of it or what other people think of it. It's the
greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if the only place to do it is in your
living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you
feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they
will be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings. They are your link to the
past and the people most likely to stick
with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go and with a
precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle, because the older you get the more you
need the people that knew you when you were young.
Live in
you hard.
Live in
you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain unalienable truths; prices will rise,
politicians will philander, you too will get old.
And when you do, you will fantasize that
when you were young, prices were reasonable,
politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you
have a trust fund and maybe you have a wealthy wife,
but you never know when either one will run out on you.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time
you're 40 your hair will look 85.
Be careful whose advise you buy, but be patient
with
the people that provide the advice. Advice is a form
of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past
from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly
parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen