Fwd: Kurt Vonnegut -Reply

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Kurt Vonnegut's commencement address at MIT -


Ladies and
>gentlemen of the class of '97:


 Wear sunscreen.


 If I could
>offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen
 would be it. The
>long-term benefits of sunscreen have been
 proved by scientists, whereas
>the rest of my advice has no
 basis more reliable than my own meandering
>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 20 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 imagine.


 Don't worry about
>the future. Or worry, but know that worrying
 is as effective as trying to
>solve an algebra equation by chewing
 bubble gum. The real troubles in your
>life are apt to be things
 that never crossed your worried mind, the kind
>that blindside you
 at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.


 Do one thing
>every day that scares you.


 Sing.


 Don't be reckless with
>other people's hearts. Don't put up with
 people who are reckless with
>yours.


 Floss.


 Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes
>you're ahead,
 sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the
>end,
 it's only with yourself.


 Remember compliments you receive.
>Forget the insults. If you
 succeed in doing this, tell me how.



>Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.



>Stretch.


 Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do
>with
 your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at
 22
>what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most
 interesting
>40-year-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, maybe you'll dance
 the funky chicken on your 75th
>wedding anniversary. Whatever you
 do, don't congratulate yourself too
>much, or berate yourself
 either. Your choices are half chance. So are
>everybody else's.


 Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't
>be afraid of
 it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest

>instrument you'll ever own.


 Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it
>but 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'll be
>gone
 for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to
 your
>past and the people most likely to stick with you in the
 future.



>Understand that friends come and go, but 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 who knew you when you were
>young.


 Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you
>hard.
 Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you

>soft. Travel.


 Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise.
>Politicians
 will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do,
>you'll
 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. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know
>when
 either one might run out.


 Don't mess too much with your hair
>or by the time you're 40 it
 will look 85.


 Be careful whose advice
>you buy, but be patient with those who
 supply it. 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.



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