Ten sentences of advice.

[hismikeness]

Suppose a young person were to come to you and ask for advice. Further, suppose this person was actually going to follow your advice, rather than letting it go in one ear and out the other. In ten sentences, organized however you like (split in to several paragraphs, a running dialogue, a list of 10 things, etc), what advice would you offer this person to have them be productive member of society? Or, what advice would you give to have them become the type of person you wish you would have become? What advices would you give that you wish you would have gotten? Just don't bloviate... keep it to 10 sentences.

Mine:

Be true to yourself. No one can or should force you to do anything that you don't want to do, nor should you change yourself to please someone else.

Take care of your hands and your feet.

Have an open mind in regards to music; if it sounds good to you, it's good.

Don't let objects control your life. Those things are not your life, they are there to enhance your life.

Learn what autodidact means and become one. Always continue to learn.

Corner the bowl and pass to the left.

The connections with other people that aren't real aren't worth having.

[fester30]

1. If you keep doing it you won't go blind, however, put it down every once in a while and be productive.
2. See above for whatever you may be holding on to of hers.
3. Golden rule.
4. If ever uncertain about whether it's gas or solid building up, NEVER try letting out a test fart.
5. Learn early on how much basic bills such as utilities cost, as well as how much rent or mortgage payments cost, and how much money people make for doing different jobs.
6. Watch CNBC a lot.
7. You don't have to be young to enjoy having a lot of money, so save and invest because the only way most will have a lot of money to enjoy is to save up till they're older.
8. That golden rule applies to all... male, female, gay, straight, all races and creeds.
9. Nothing is ever completely one-sided, so somewhere between the two extremes is always where the truth resides.
10. There are no absolutes, and don't you ever forget that... and I guess no absolutes means you should ignore the absolute part of number 9.

[Melmoth]

Don't be conned by the idea that you need any particular worldview in order to function as a human being. Beliefs are accessories, always claimed but never felt, that make no difference to what you are and very little to how you feel.

You can lie to others but you can't lie to yourself. That's not to say you shouldn't spend the rest of your life trying - sometimes it's only the thought that counts - just that it won't work.

Don't hurt people unless you want to be hurt, in which case do, I guess.

Don't waste energy trying to be consistent, 'cause you'll fail and it isn't worth it anyway.

As Albert Camus said, "all great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning." I hope you find this as reassuring as I have over the years.

Ignore any advice on 'being a productive member of society,' 'becoming enlightened,' or 'drop-kicking cows over the moon.'

Learn to enjoy being confused and to resent feeling certain.

[xSilverPhinx]

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  :swim:

Be careful with who you accept as an authority.  :blink:

Crime doesn't pay, but you pay for being stupid. Just my two cents.

Don't play with fire. It burns. :hmm:

If you ever come across a dancing colourful banana, go to a doctor. Something's wrong.  :eek:

Don't spam the boards.

Be wary of people giving you advice.  

[Tom62]

Don't overdo things.
Be a good listener.
Read between the lines.
Follow your heart, but keep checking if you are still on the right track.
Keep your promises.
Don't procrastinate (my own weakness   ).
Take good care of your appearance.

[Illbethewriter]

I'm only 20, so I guess I can only give advice to those in their teens, and younger.

1. Do your very best in everything and every challenge presented to you.
2. If a boyfriend/girlfriend constantly upsets you dump them. Don't let it drag on so long that you can hardly bear it any more.
3. Exercise and socialise, don't play video games.
4. Seize every possible opportunity given to you, because it'll ensure you'll keep being offered more.
5. Be yourself and, within reason, genuinely don't give a fuck as to what other people think.
6. Take politics at a-level - one of the best decisions I ever made.
7. Milk everyone for everything you can get, because they will do it to you.
8. Aim high.
9. Don't get pregnant, or at least don't keep it.
10. Save your virginity for someone specialer than anyone you've ever messed around with before.

[Will]

Good thread idea!

Don't ever lose your curiosity. We're all born very curious beings, instinctively seeking out explanations for how and why things are the way they are so we can develop a better understanding of the world. Unfortunately, a lot of the world is going to tell you to please sit down and stop asking questions. Ignore them. The more hungry for information you are, the more you'll learn how to learn and eventually come to understand.

Don't lose your humanity. Most everyone have a set of characteristics like tenderness, compassion and sympathy which can be nurtured in a person so that they are good to the people around them. It's not just other people that will learn to appreciate these characteristics, but you yourself will learn that being humane means a sense of being a good person which is fulfilling and will help to build a healthy self. It's just as important for you as it is for the social contract.

Don't lose your skepticism. People are going to lie to you. Books are going to lie to you. TV is going to lie to you. In order to defend yourself against the dishonesty of others, you need to keep and develop your healthy ability to be skeptical. It's never wrong to question and it's never wrong to ask for evidence.

Don't lose your patience. Hold on for a second. Just wait a minute. Almost there. Not quite yet. Okay. This life requires patience from you because the world does not always follow your expectations or your schedule. There are times when you need to show inner strength and wait for something to happen and not lose your temper. Good things come to those who wait.

Don't lose your hope. It's easy to see a lot of bad things, to predict disaster and dismay at it all. Living without any hope, though, is not a good way to live. While it's important to be pragmatic and plan for the worst, it's okay to hope for the best because it will keep you sane.

Don't lose your trustworthiness. You owe it to yourself just as much as you owe it to the important people in your life to strive to be as honest as you can be. We only have one life, and living it honestly helps us to appreciate what is without being distracted by what isn't. Not only that, but some day you're probably going to fall in love and you'll need to be a trustworthy person by that point because trust is the foundation of a successful relationship.

Don't lose your sense of humor. The Secretary of Defense is giving President Bush his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed." "OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!" His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, head in hands. Finally, the President looks up and asks, "How many is a brazillion?"

Don't lose your body. You're adapted to be able to run and jump and lift and carry very well. Human beings are an amazing species, physically. Looking at most people now, though, you're just looking at unfulfilled potential. Live up to your physical potential. Eat a healthy diet, exercise absolutely every day, and you'll can have very healthy self esteem and live a much better and longer life.

Don't lose your dignity. I'm not saying you should be ego-driven, but it's important for you to develop a sense of self-worth. You're a human being and that in and of itself means you're of worth. Don't let anyone convince you that you're not worthy of respect or truth or kindness because you are.

Be excellent to people.

[Twentythree]

1.   Do not be afraid of your human nature, you have successfully evolved a full gamut of emotions, drives and curiosities, these are to be celebrated and explored not fearfully suppressed.
2.   Understand that evolution is non linear, there is no winning or losing just surviving.
3.   Do not be satisfied in knowing that something works, always strive to understand how or why it works.
4.   Morality is simple, don’t be an asshole.
5.   Never let go of imagination, if you can make it in your mind you can make it with your hands.
6.   Do not be afraid to truly explore the concepts of eternity, infinity and never.
7.   We can never truly understand reality objectively because we are part of reality, a variable cannot solve the equation.
8.   Everything we accomplish is on the backs of others, our knowledge and technology are exponential as it is passed from one generation to the next. Do your best to pass on the best. Help evolution.
9.   Take a look at where you are right now, think of all the joy or sorrow, boredom or excitement, success or failure and remember it was all a choice, you did it all to yourself  by the decisions you made one way or another.
10.   Nothing is permanent, everything will change always.

[Extropian]

Rudyard Kipling
 
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

[Melmoth]

Did you go to a boarding school or something?

[Extropian]

If, Melmoth, you are addressing me then permit me to respond...........

No, I did not attend a boarding school and nor have I much involvement in your "something", if any.

Despite the admonition to keep it to 10 pieces of advice, I saw Kipling's IF as eminently appropriate.

May I enquire as to the purpose of your question?

Extropian

[Soren Gregev]

You can not take back what you say, or what you do, or what you think.

If you are afraid, you will stay afraid until you conquer your fear.

If you are in a rut or stuck in a dead end, pack a pillow and blanket.

Respect breeds respect, and disrespect breeds disrespect, but if somebody disrespects you, your response is determined by the nature of your relationship with them.

Follow your desires.

Respect your obligations.

Hold Something Sacred.

(Will, I like the Ten pieces of Advice that you wrote. The George Bush one had me gasping and laughing at the same time.    Pretty cool.)

[Melmoth]

If, Melmoth, you are addressing me then permit me to respond...........

No, I did not attend a boarding school and nor have I much involvement in your "something", if any.

Despite the admonition to keep it to 10 pieces of advice, I saw Kipling's IF as eminently appropriate.

May I enquire as to the purpose of your question?

You don't need to ask my permission m'good man - it is granted unconditionally.

And I agree, If is appropriate. But it's also commonly associated with a sort of stuffy boarding schooldom, at least in England. Hence the joke. It's the sort of thing headmasters read in morning assemblies. I imagine that's also the reason for the satirical film of the same name, with Malcom McDowell as the ringleader of a violent uprising in a boarding school. Don't know that for sure but I'd assume Kipling's poem played some part in the choosing of that title. Good film.

[Extropian]

I was immensely relieved of a worriesome burden by your granting of unconditional permission, Melmoth. My gratitude knows no bounds.

I do appreciate that your light-hearted observation was intended with humour and your explanation helped me, as an Australian, to view it in that light.

It's interesting to learn how Kipling is viewed in the UK today. Though born in India, regarding it as much a home as England herself and writing extensively about it, there was no doubt he was an exemplar of the Victorian British tradition, imperialist in outlook but with a refreshing far-sightedness of the responsibilities that accompanied such traditions.

I'm not surprised that there is prevalent a view that his attitudes were somewhat patronising. And while I don't attribute that view to you, I think we'd both agree that we can't blame a person for being representative of his or her society any more than we could a member of the hippie culture of the 1960s.

He was the first English citizen to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature and is still the youngest of all literary recipients.

But to return to the topic..............I can see perhaps three rules being sufficient.

[1] In Shakespeare's Hamlet act 1. scene lll; "And this above all, unto thine own self be true and it shall follow as the day the night - thou can'st not then be false to any man."

[2] Be scrupulous in obeying the Golden Rule

[3] Treat failures and mistakes as valuable lessons and don't dwell on regrets.

Thanks for your response.

Extropian

[Melmoth]

And while I don't attribute that view to you, I think we'd both agree that we can't blame a person for being representative of his or her society any more than we could a member of the hippie culture of the 1960s

True.

But the way I see it, Victorian England wasn't patronising, us such. Underpinning its various insecurities was an obsessive fascination with decay. The decay of 'Civilisation,' or that which rises us above the status of animals, along with all of the moral and social imperatives encompassed within that. They were the first in the 'civilised' world to fully realise the fragility of those things, propped up as they must be on a base, savage and inescapably animal nature. (Guess who had a lot to do with that. Begins with C and ends with Darwin) This with the time when England first began to question the integrity of the civilised soul. Which had a lot of implications for Imperialism, which saw itself as a positive force, progressively civilising the world.

Look no further than The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or The Picture of Dorian Grey, or ask yourself why Jack the Ripper became such a legend if you want to see my point made explicity.

Edit: I'll say no more on this. Way too off topic, but I get carried away with this stuff. Wouldn't mind discussing books with you in a separate topic though Mr. E.