“YOLO.”
You only live once. A phrase that has been coined by many brands of people. A phrase that I have personally expressed in a grand selection of situations. But why? Why does this motto have such a grip on some of our mindsets?
I’ve recognized this word as the title to many songs, as Drake’s merchandise, and as many people’s Instagram captions. The word has been made timeless, but for great reasoning. Our society is full of many standards. There are numerous expectations to be reached, and we aren’t all blessed with a substantial amount of time to complete these tasks.
Not all people want to have to work to live; they would much rather enjoy quality time with the ones they love and the everyday moments that make life worth living. A great quantity of people would much rather tap into their “hobbies,” instead of working 9-5 for the sake of security. With that being said, YOLO. YOLO pushes people to strive for the extraordinary. Life loses purpose? YOLO. You want a date to Prom, but you’re too scared to ask your crush out? YOLO. Your friends want to go out tonight, but you’re feeling a little self-conscious. YOLO. You have the opportunity to take the job of a lifetime, but it pays less than your current one? YOLO.
YOLO provides confidence, ambition, and inspiration. It allows people to test out their waters. No one will remember our individual experience in the next few hundred years. There should be no fear, nothing holding us back. We humans have done this to ourselves. We have upheld boundaries, and stereotypes that are incredibly difficult to break free from; specifically known as commonplaces. But the select few, the ones who do not fear the action of stepping out of this societal square, they preach YOLO.
I enjoy your interpretation of YOLO as more than a slang term. You twist the acronym into something more profoundly motivational and philosophical, akin to stoicism. The idea of taking risks, specifically the point about not being individually remembered, strikes a very important personal note (again like stoicism). So I agree, why not YOLO?
I think that you did a very good job describing YOLO and what it means. In particular, your examples of when you might say YOLO made a lot of sense and did a good job at showing when and where you might use YOLO. With all this talk about YOLO being a reason to do things that you might otherwise avoid, it raises the question: How and why is YOLO sometimes used to justify detrimental behaviors like excessive drinking? After all, YOLO. Exploring the many sides of YOLO would make for an interesting followup blog if we do that kind of thing in this class.