In YOLO We Trust: Why This Acronym Will Change Your Life

The following is a school project I did for my Composition class this year, as we were continuing our unit on Argumentative Writing. Enjoy!

You could take it from Drake, but I truly believe that “You Only Live Once” (or YOLO) is
“The Motto” that all generations need.

First and foremost, it gives us new light of the life we should be living. Of course, that means
it lets us know that we should be aware of our one only life.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live
forever.” The meaning of this quote is as true as YOLO, as well as its predecessor carpe diem,
but it also reminds us that learning is a big part of our lives. As for the first half of Gandhi’s
quote, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow”, this might as well be his version of YOLO.

Being aware of the fact that you will die races us to figure out what must come next in our
lives, which brings me to the next point: productivity.

Today’s society faces constant distraction, which places barriers between us and our ability to
be productive. Examples include our phone buzzing, or radio playing in the background.
Letting go of these and more allows us to choose good habits, develop new skills, and work
towards our goals. That way, we won’t have to worry so much about regretting life once it’s
over. 

Next, let’s talk about the intended purpose of YOLO: to live a fulfilling life. Adam Mesh
originally created the term and YOLO clothing in 2004. (I googled Mesh, and now he has a
stock trading company, which makes sense because, what’s a more YOLO way to make
money than through investment?) After Zoe Triska of The Huffington Post mentioned Mesh in
a 2012 blog post , he tweeted at Triska that YOLO was created to inspire others to “live life to
the fullest.” However, he is disappointed in YOLO’s “current use.”

That I understand, YOLO is currently being used for the wrong things. What I mean is
risk-taking behaviours that could kill you, to be specific, such as speeding, getting drunk,
speeding after getting drunk, the list goes on.

These, in my opinion, are bad examples of YOLO, since they are the total opposite of alive
and aware, the kind of feelings that YOLO was meant to bring. I know that people tend to
copy the habits of others even if they’re not okay, but I can feel it in my bones that one day,
people will be influenced by these bad examples by knowing the risk it has of causing death.
They will understand that YOLO is not an excuse to do precarious behaviours. 

I get that YOLO is the opportunity to go and do something incredible in the world. Help
make the day of someone else? Cross out your entire bucket list? Raising life to become
successful and carry on your legacy? That’s YOLO! Ladies and gentlemen, YOLO IS LIFE,
SO LIVE IT!


Anyhow, if you want to YOLO, do it right. So even if it’s just fun and games, YOLO
will eventually be taken as seriously as we want it to be, because we all dream of a life
that can never be regretted. And that’s exactly what the best life feels like!