Good Advice for Young Men

This post, from the Boars Head Tavern, by Jack Heald is so good that an excerpt won't do it justice. Consider this practical wisdom for teenage guys.

QotD Last year, a friend & I actually put together a list I called "advice for my teenage son", (who happened to be 16). It covered the gamut - Life, God, Women, Fighting, Working, Dying, Friendship, Money, Politics, Education, Culture, Leadership. It may be a book one day, a la Chicken Soup or Jabez.

In spite of that, here are some of my favorites:

On Life
There is a God. You are not Him.
One day you will die.
Tattoos are like suicide - a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
Don’t be the idiot that drives the speed limit in the fast lane.

On Manhood
No one can make you be self-disciplined.
As a man, you will always have to do things you don’t want to do. Suck it up.

On Women
A physical confrontation with a woman is a lose/lose proposition.
Men want sex, women want intimacy.
At least 4 days a month, your wife will be insane.

On Fighting
Never lose control, except on purpose
Some fights you lose only if you don’t fight.
Never hate your enemies; it clouds your judgment

On Family
Your parents used to be cool before you came along

On Work
The Peter Principle: just because he’s in charge doesn’t mean that he’s competent.
If you’re not failing, you’re not trying to succeed.
Make your life your work, not your work your life. No one ever died wishing they spent more time at the office.

On Money
Money is never an indicator of success.
Money is a good servant, but a brutal master.

On Education
“Learn from the mistakes of others – you don’t have time enough to make them all yourself.” – G.K. Chesterton
Your education does not start until school ends
The educational experts aren’t
Read widely and read above your head

On Culture
People claiming to be non-conformists have just adopted some other conformity
The crowd is usually running towards the cliff

Comments

[Kyle]

Any chance of the full list?

[David Wayne]

Kyle - you'd have to check Boar's Head Tavern to see if he's posted the full list - I haven't seen it. It would be great though, wouldn't it?

[Tyler]

''Tattoos are like suicide - a permanent solution to a temporary problem''

I counter your statement with this one:

''Faith in God is like drinking or doing drugs - a temporary solution to a permanent problem''

[waan]

what if you genuinely like tattoos for their artistic value?? then are they still like suicide?