YOLO

Where I'm from in rural Illinois, you can say almost anything about anyone as long as you follow it with, “bless your heart.”  For example, “He's so dumb he'd take a shower with a hairdryer to save time, bless his heart.”  In the past two years, another phrase has come into America's vocabulary that seems both equally useful and incomprehensible: YOLO.  For example, “Not sure if I can afford these shoes – YOLO!” or, “I may be too hungover for work tomorrow, but YOLO.”  So what is this mysterious be-all end-all of self-justifying phrases?

YOLO is the millennial grandchild of an idea that can trace its roots all the way back to ancient Rome.  The Roman lyric poet Horace, in his Odes, said carpe diem quam minimum credula postero, or roughly translated, "seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the next.”  The sentiment is echoed in  Robert Herrick's 1648 poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,” which admonishes its readers to “gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” In both instances, the argument is to value the time you have because you may not have more.  It's a noble sentiment, even Biblical, as in Ephesians 5: “Make the most of the time, for the days are evil.” But like all ideas, this one grew and changed with time.

The idea that was “Carpe Diem”and “Gather Ye Rosebuds” was reincarnated as “You Only Live Once” in early 2006, when The Strokes released a song by that title.  The phrase didn't really gain traction, however, until Canadian pop star Drake released the song “The Motto” in late 2011.  Among other explicit lyrics, the chorus includes, “You only live once ‒ that's the motto n***a, YOLO, And we 'bout it every day, every day, every day.”  This compressed the idea into an acronym, something quickly said and easily remembered.

As an acronym, YOLO exploded into youth culture, taking on a life of its own as shorthand for youthful exuberance and a devil-may-care, reckless abandon to living in the moment.  The sentiment went viral in popular music, as “The Motto” was followed by fun.'s single “We Are Young,” Ke$ha's “Die Young,” “Young, Wild and Free” featuring Wiz Khalifa and veteran rapper Snoop Dogg, “Live While We're Young” by trans-Atlantic sensation One Direction, and most recently “Live It Up” featuring Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull.  The common element in all of these lyrics is the pursuit of pleasure in the brief moment of youth without regard for consequence.  YOLO has become a popular hashtag in social media, and even a verb used  for any activity that fulfills the YOLO lifestyle, as in “a hard night of YOLO-ing.”

What makes YOLO so dangerous is that it has become a moral compass for the next generation - or perhaps more accurately, a substitute for one.  The gospel of YOLO is the frantic pursuit of pleasure while sacrificing foresight at the altar of  the moment. It's an excuse, a verbal “don't judge me” to accompany a moral shrug of the shoulders.  In its current incarnation YOLO looks less like “carpe diem” and more like a phrase echoed throughout the Bible, “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” In Ecclesiastes the phrase is used by King Solomon to describe the vanity of the world.  In Isaiah, the phrase is used to describe the wicked conduct of a Judah that has turned its back on God.  In 1 Corinthians, Paul uses the phrase to describe what Christian faith would have to look like if the resurrection of Christ had not happened.  None of these are depictions of the fulfilling life YOLO promises.

Even more importantly, YOLO simply is not true: you only live twice.  The end of our lives is not the end of our existence, and the end goal of living is not simply to enjoy life as much as possible.  Making the most of every moment doesn't mean ignoring the consequences.

This generation didn't invent YOLO, but embraced it as an anthem, and in that anthem they embrace a philosophy without limits and dignity.

What consequences do you see to living to the tune of YOLO? Comment below and continue the discussion...

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This post was written by Lucas Zellers, our summer intern.