Escape the trap of YOLO

“YOLO.” You only live once. I admit that, I am guilty of saying this out loud. I have tweeted it, complete with a hash tag. The catchy phrase has become a popular saying, thanks to the song, “The Motto,” written by Drake. He sings, “You only live once: that’s the motto !@#$%, YOLO” in the hook.

This idea has morphed from a motto to an excuse to live life acting recklessly and thoughtlessly. It sounds cool to say, “It’s New Years Eve, YOLO!” or “I have so much homework due tomorrow but this nap is more important #YOLO.”

As a teenager, and a senior to boot, I am frequently conflicted between enjoying my last year of high school, carefree, and putting in the work I know I am capable of in school to reap the rewards later. Later feels like such a long way away. I want to be a kid and have fun now, just in case there’s no fun to be had later.

At the same time, I witness students who are working tirelessly toward their goals and improving their futures. I lie in my bed at night and tell myself, “Josh, you are a hard worker. Good job.” But then self-doubt creeps in. Am I really a hard worker? Could I have spent more time studying for that test or perfecting that essay instead of playing Temple Run? Let’s not forget how I diligently refresh and read my Twitter timeline every five minutes when I could actually be reading the book my teacher assigned instead of making a half-ass attempt at reading SparkNotes over breakfast.

The truth is, I am not such a hard worker. Like many of you, I take shortcuts and do what is absolutely necessary in school thinking, ‘YOLO!’ Why waste so much time studying when I could be relaxing, catching up on sleep or hanging out with friends?

Perhaps the very essence of YOLO is flawed; because we say that we only live once, we think that it’s better to just cram in the fun. What if YOLO really means that we better make this life count?  What if YOLO is all wrong, the whole karma thing is for real, and we have to go through another life over and over until we get it right? How many lifetimes of kindergarten through 12^th-grade purgatory will it take before we get the message: YOLO is a scam!

Students who are accepted into colleges that I can only of dream of attending, who devote hours of their time to community service, who get A’s in the hardest AP classes because they study persistently and won’t accept mediocrity–these are the people I look up to. I see people who care about themselves. It makes me sad and motivated at the same time. Sad because as I lie there in bed, downloading yet another Netflix instant play, deep down knowing I could have done more to improve my grades and made different decisions throughout high school to give me more of an edge in the college admission process.

But I didn’t because I lived by a faulty understanding of YOLO. The dumb philosophy on life drags you down with no escape, taking you prisoner by shackling your feet and throwing you overboard into the unrelenting sea of life. As I stare down the sharks, I wonder: is this it?

Moments like these are good, though. They allow one to come to a sudden and sometimes lonely realization about life. You can only make changes inside yourself when you acknowledge your own flaw. We are using YOLO the wrong way.

William Penn, a colonial English philosopher, had it right.  He said, “I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”

Let’s do something good, for ourselves, for our families, for each other. Let’s make a difference. Do something now. We may only “pass through life but once,” so let’s quit being bedtime philosophers and get on with it.  What’s the good of living once if we don’t take advantage of every opportunity we are given?

We only live once. So do we throw away our time having fun, or do we use it wisely by educating ourselves and making a difference in the world? We don’t know if the idea of karma is real or whether or not we come back in another life based on our actions in this life. So be careful. When you say YOLO, remember to weigh your options of either having fun now or the ramifications your actions could have on your next life.

Dare we take the chance?

column Issue 4, Print, Views