Everybody's Free

Baz Lyhrmann - Everybody's Free

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99

If I could offer you only one tip for the future,

sunscreen would be

it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been

proved by

scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis

more reliable

than my own meandering

experience...I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh

nevermind; you will not

understand the power and beauty of your youth until

they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos

of yourself and

recall in a way you can't grasp now how much

possibility lay before

you and how fabulous you really looked....You're not

as fat as you

imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that

worrying is as

effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by

chewing

bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to

be things that

never crossed your worried mind; the kind that

blindside you at 4pm

on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't

put up with

people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're

ahead, sometimes

you're behind...the race is long, and in the end, it's

only with

yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the

insults; if you

succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank

statements.

Stretch

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to

do with your

life...the most interesting people I know didn't know

at 22 what they

wanted to do with their lives, some of the most

interesting 40 year

olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're

gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have

children,maybe

you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll

dance the funky

chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary...what ever

you do, don't

congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself

either - your

choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body,

use it every way you can...don't be afraid of it, or

what other people

think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever

own..

Dance...even if you have nowhere to do it but in your

own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you

feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll

be gone for

good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to

your past and the

people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the

precious few you

should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in

geography and

lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need

the people you

knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes

you hard; live

in Northern California once, but leave before it makes

you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise,

politicians will

philander, you too will get old, and when you do

you'll fantasize

that when you were young prices were reasonable,

politicians were

noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you

have a trust fund,

maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know

when either one

might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time

you're 40, it will

look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with

those who

supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing

it is a way of

fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off,

painting over the

ugly parts and recycling it for more than

it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...