Summary

The article advises young people to embrace life fully by accepting mortality, pursuing passions, and savoring life's pleasures like cheeseburgers.

Abstract

The article "Advice To Young People: Eat More Cheeseburgers" emphasizes the importance of a positive outlook on aging, suggesting that it is a privilege if approached correctly. It encourages readers to acknowledge the inevitability of death and to find personal solace in philosophical or religious beliefs. The author stresses the value of accumulating cherished memories over regrets by actively engaging in enjoyable activities while physically able. Using sailing as a metaphor, the piece highlights that opportunities for certain passions diminish with age, reinforcing the urgency to act now rather than wait for an ideal moment. The article also humorously reminds young people to indulge in life's simple pleasures, like eating cheeseburgers, as these experiences will be fondly remembered in later years.

Opinions

Growing older is portrayed as a positive experience if one accepts the reality of life's expiration and prepares for it philosophically or religiously.
It is crucial to balance memories and regrets by actively pursuing one's interests and passions.
The concept of "ageing out," particularly in the context of physically demanding activities like sailing, underscores the importance of seizing the day.
The author believes that personal understanding and acceptance of mortality are key to living a fulfilling life.
There is an emphasis on the importance of personal choice and fulfillment over

Advice To Young People: Eat More Cheeseburgers

For some reason our society loves to scare young people about growing older. It shouldn’t be that way. Growing older is a wonderful thing- if you do it right.

The first and most unpleasant task of growing older is this: you have to face the fact that nobody gets off this rock we call Earth alive.

Life is like a can of peas on the grocery store shelf. It has an expiration date.

Life is like that new car you drive off the showroom floor. At first you are excited to own such a wonderful machine. But eventually, no matter how beautiful the car, the warranty expires. The car ends up in the junkyard.

(The same happens to us, but we call it a graveyard.)

It’s just a fact of life.

What that means is that you have to make peace with the idea of your eventual demise- because it happens to all of us. You should arrive at a philosophical or religious understanding of your ending that makes sense to you personally.

It’s worth spending time doing this. It’s a useful exercise.

There is no right or wrong answer; the answer will be different for every person. If it makes sense to you personally- not your pastor, your friends, or your family- then it’s right.

Now, back to the business of living.

Growing old will be a time of memories and a time of regret. We will have fond memories of the things we did do, and regrets about the things we didn’t do enough of.

Try to have more memories than regrets.

It’s very important that you do the things you enjoy doing, while you are still able to do them. Realize that your physical abilities will peter out many years before your life finally sputters out. Act accordingly.

Do the thing, now.

Don’t wait for the perfect time. There is no perfect time. You will never have enough money saved in your bank account or vacation days from work to do it.

You have to do it anyway.

As my regular readers know, I am an avid sailor. Sailing is a beautiful thing. But there is one aspect of it that is quietly tragic. And that part taught me a lot about the business of living.

It’s called “ageing out.”

Every sailor spends an inordinate amount of time looking at boats for sale. The reason for the sale is often listed in the advertisement, because boat owners like to know why a boat is for sale. Does it need work? Is it a piece of junk?

Quite often the reason a boat is listed for sale is “ageing out.”

Sailing has an expiration date. It’s a physical activity that can only be performed for a certain number of years. At some point, every sailor will age out of the sport. It’s inevitable. Sailors understand this. That’s why it’s important to do the thing, now.

Buy that boat. Sail to Hawaii. Do it while you still can. You’ll have plenty of time to worry about the money later. (But you won’t be able to sail to Hawaii later.)

What about the cheeseburgers?

Didn’t the title of this story say something about cheeseburgers?

That’s another piece of advice for young people. When you are young, you can eat like a horse. When you get older, you will be less inclined to overindulge. But you’ll remember every great cheeseburger you ever ate. (Trust me on this).

So, young people… that’s the secret to life:

Get comfortable with the end. Do the thing, now.

And eat more cheeseburgers.