YOLO stands for “you only live once,” and it is quickly becoming the new motto of our generation. Found on T-shirts, people’s arms and all over Facebook, YOLO is a new craze that many here at Chapman follow with an almost religious fervor. Those who subscribe to YOLO will tell you it’s a lifestyle, one of adventure, fast living and trying anything and everything.
First of all, it’s not a lifestyle. It’s an acronym. Second of all, at best, it’s an excuse. Those who tout YOLO use it as an excuse to do incredibly stupid things, but with pride. Try this drug? YOLO! Drink at noon on a Tuesday? YOLO! Jump off a bridge? YOLO! With YOLO, young people now can be proud of acting with no responsibility or idea of consequence.
If YOLO is a religion, its chapel is social networking. YOLO is so popular because our generation loves to show other people in our generation just how free we are. Whether it’s on Twitter or Facebook, YOLO has become the tagline for every drunken update and rave picture. The expression “you only live once” has existed long before us, but our generation has taken to it with such fervor because of social networking. Before Facebook, YOLO might have been a casual expression, used sparingly, to give oneself perspective. For our generation, YOLO is not popular just because you only live once, but because you can post it on the Internet thousands of times.
I believe a hipster must have invented YOLO because it is the most ironic expression. Literally, the expression admits to one’s own mortality, yet those who tout the expression act like they’re going to live forever. My mother had an expression similar to YOLO when I was growing up: you don’t live twice. This, of course, was her way of telling me to act safe and responsible, because I don’t get another chance at this life. I simply don’t understand how admitting you only live once is an excuse to ensure that one life you have has little chance of making it past 30. I don’t know if anyone who subscribes to YOLO has ever thought about it, because if they did, I’d imagine they’d be taking their vitamins and making sure they get their eight hours of sleep each night, because you actually only live once.
I think the expression should change to ITILF: I think I’ll live forever. If people really believed that, then I could see the reasoning behind the substance and subsequent stupid actions that would ensue.
I get it. Every young generation needs a reason to live fast and rebel. But YOLO? You only live once, so let’s make sure it’s a brief life? Listen, if you’re going to do drugs, drink every day of the week or go skydiving without a parachute, just do it – you don’t need the tagline. But please don’t tell me you’re doing such things because you’ve reached some higher plane of understanding where you’ve realized you only live once, because I don’t think you have.
