Carpe Diem, YOLO and Hakuna Matata

I've long come to the conclusion that most people may like the same concept but don't like it when it is referred to by another name. The most obvious example of this is the expression of enjoying the moment, because life is a fleeting moment. There are many expressions by which people say this, and it seems to me that they're all used by different kinds of people.

We have the teenagers with an attitude, fans of hashtags, with their #yolo: you only live once. This is probably the most erroneously used term of "seize the moment". People saying YOLO seem to think it should be used to do something retarded that might get you in danger. This has obviously lead to a lot of jokes and insults to YOLOers throughout the world.

Secondly, we have the Disney fans and children of the world, with Hakuna Matata. It's original meaning is "no worries", but in the Lion King movie it was slightly changed to "forget the past, like in the present". There was another animation movie, Kung Fu Panda, with a similar quote, that made me think some children's movies make excellent points for adults.

Finally, the all famous latin Carpe Diem. I found this one through Dead Poets Society and it's meaning is to "seize the day". This one seems to be used by more mature people or at least by people who understand what it means. If you haven't seen that movie, you really should; everyone should know the Oh Captain, My Captain reference.

Now, regarding the advice itself, I think we can all agree it's a reasonable advice. We need to enjoy it while we can, or one day you will wake up too old to do all the things you've ever wanted to do. When your friend says he won't go ask out a girl's number because she might reject him, you say "Carpe Diem. If you never ask, it will always be a 'no'.". When your friends say they don't want to try out a new restaurante because they might not like the food, you tell them "YOLO, you might be missing out on your favourite food for the rest of your life!". When your kid is nervous about a test or a bad grade he think he will have and is going to spend a week moping around, tell him "There's no point in being sad about that. Hakuna Matata, learn from this mistake and study harder on your next test.".

Finally, if you ever find one of those people that never seem to smile because they're always worried and obsessing about something, try to lighten them up and leave a smile on their face. What's the point of living if you don't enjoy it, right? 

That's all for today. High five! (In the face.) (With a chair.)

David