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Words of advice for the College bound teen

You are going to be flooded with advice between now and when you leave for college. You will ignore most of it and thereby cause your parents undue anger and stress. Parents have lived with child-induced anger and stress for ions so we are used to it. By now you have come to think of your parents being insanely unreasonable killjoys. Our reaction to your requests for money and the car may seem crazy but this is how we give vent to our anger and stress. It is called revenge.

I write this in vain, but I feel obligated to share words of wisdom with you, however unwelcome they may be. I do this because I don't want your future calamities and disasters to be on my conscience. When you foul up I want to be able to say with certainty, "I told you that would happen."

Please do not think of me as a cruel prophet of doom. I have not seen your future; but I have lived through it. If you follow this advice you will still have problems and you will still foul up. You will, however, recover with grace. If you choose to follow the beaten path and ignore the advice of your elders you will suffer the indignity of seeing my smug grinning face mouthing the words, "I told you that would happen."

First, do not take yourself or anyone else including this essay - too seriously. People who take themselves too seriously are commonly referred to as bores. They are generally ego-maniacal, self-centered snobs. You do not want to be that guy so treat all ideas, especially your own, with great cynicism and unrelenting analysis. A young man once asked Frederick Douglass what he should do with his life. Mr. Douglass replied, "Agitate, agitate, agitate." Do not be afraid to annoy people by asking tough questions.

Be true to your values. Shakespeare wrote, 'To thine own self be true' This will cost you friends and a certain degree of popularity. But in the end having a sure set of values that you can defend and live by is invaluable. When discussing the theological implications of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said, "In any great struggle both sides believe they are doing the will of God. Both may be, but surely one must be wrong." You will be challenged to take a stand on all of the great issues of the day. People may disagree with your ideas but your honesty, integrity and selflessness should be envied.

Become a scholar. Right now you have progressed through high school by being a student. You dutifully attended classes, passed tests and constructed hastily

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