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[Loud rock music playing] [“Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen”
Song Lyrics]: Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Never mind. You will not understand
the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me in 20 years you will 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. Do not worry about the future. Or, worry,
but know that worrying is about 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 4:00
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 are ahead and sometimes you are 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 know 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 did not 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 what other people may think of it. It’s the greatest instrument
you’ll ever own. Dance. Even if you have nowhere to do it but
your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow
them. Do not read beauty magazines, they will only
make you feel ugly. (harmonica music)
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 will be most likely
to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but a
precious few you should hold onto. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography
and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when
you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before
it makes you too 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 will
fantasize that when you were young prices were lower, politicians were noble and children
respected their elders. Respect your elders.
Don’t expect any one 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 forty it will look eighty-five.
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 its worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen. “Everybody’s Free” song lyrics: Brother
and sister together will make it through. Some day our spirit will take you and guide
you there I know, you've been hurting but I've been
here waiting to be there for you And I'll be there just helping you out, when
ever I can Everybody's free
Everybody's free, oh yeah Everybody’s free
Everybody's free to feel good, to feel good
[Students’ voices (off camera)]: Yes, definitely. Of course I’m coming back.
Sure. Yep.
Absolutely I’m coming back! Yes, yeah, yeah.
I’m coming back. I’ll be back next year.
Absolutely! It was pretty fun.
Yes, pretty fun. (group shouting) I love Summer Scholars!