It seems that a lot of our generation has forgotten what it means to work. I understand that none of us work like our parents work, day in and day out. If you think that you work day in and day out, you don't. Just ask your parents what day in and day out actually means to them. What i'm driving at here, is that we've become distracted, diluted, fucking lazy. I'm no exception to this. We are a generation that wants only to play, where there is no pride in work or ambition. We want to go to Day-Glow and then go see Skrillex live the next day. We claim we need vacations, when we've been on one all along. We complain when work won't give us friday and saturday off, stating "I don't get paid enough for this." We shout YOLO, as if it's an "our father" prayer. As if four silly letters could grant us the permission to do what we want without fearing the consequences. something we've been doing all along. My point here, is not that it's wrong to enjoy yourself. It's a necessary aspect of life. All work and no play makes for a really bad cliche. What i'm saying, is that we are mistaking our youth as a period in which we can do whatever we want, idolizing the belief that one day we'll grow old and have jobs, kids, and responsibilities, losing some infinite hall pass that allows us to enjoy ourselves. This is the standard mindset that we've been given. passed down from our parents. i'm not saying our parents are wrong, or that you weren't raised properly. I'm saying that we're ignorant and fucking blind. Clinging to the idea that we should live now because one day we won't be able to is us succumbing to the gesture that our lives are predetermined. that one day we will have a comfortable corporate job that will allot us one vacation to Florida a year and a few sick days, if we're lucky. This is the life of complacency. This is what happens when you skip the first 3/4 of a book and only read the ending chapters. Parties are enjoyable, yes. Studying is boring, yes. i'm not preaching to you that working hard and getting good grades is the key to a happy life, nor am i stating that screaming YOLO and doing what you want is the right way to operate. We misunderstand the cliche of YOLO. We only live once, but is 10 years of partying and throwing up pinnacle whipped vodka, worth 45 years of work and the gold watch you get at retirement? Your mind is at it's highest capacity and efficiency ages 18-24, Don't fucking waste it. If you live to your fullest capabilities, pushing your mind and your ambitions and dreams YOLO dissolves into the world of cliches. If you can manage to treat every day like it's your last, without being a fucking moron, by showing those you love how much you care, by creating, by being yourself, you won't only live once, because you'll be remembered forever. That is why YOLO is the tagline of the idiots of our generation. Why party now and live once, when you can work for yourself and for your soul, and live forever in text books, art, novels, music, film, discoveries, and anything else you can imagine? Make the right choice.