Go, Explore, Enjoy
What advice do you have for the young today?
Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity. Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them" before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity. Besides being wise, the Teacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs. The Teacher sought to find pleasing words, and he wrote words of truth plainly. The sayings of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings that are given by one shepherd. Of anything beyond these, my child, beware. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. - Eccles. 11:9-12:14
What we would advise someone much younger, now that we have lived a great deal of our lives, depends on what we have done with our life.
I advise my grandchildren to travel, see the world, enjoy it while you can do everything that the sights offer.
I say that because I didn't start to go out and explore the world until later in life, when I was married.
If you can do these things with someone you love, all the better, but do them now.
When I was young, the advice was to work hard, save your money and enjoy life when you retire.
Is it better to be retired and alone?
Go. Build up your photo library of memories now, and then when you are working hard at a job you love, and have your family, enjoy those vacations with them.
The author is right in that this life is very short.
Now you may say not everyone can afford to do these things, and I remember having little money in my pocket when I was my grandson's age, but I had a credit card and a car.
Go where your resources can take you, see what you can see and discover the world beyond your own neighborhood.
You never know what you will find.
More to come...