General guidance for living:

First and foremost, while young, get as much education in quantitative physical science (math, physics, chemistry, biology) as you can mentally handle. That is the primary path to realizing Human Destiny, so if you can be then do be a fully contributing partner towards that critical goal.

Second, absolutely take college/university courses in a variety of other subjects (English, Foreign Languages, History, Sociology, Psychology, Art, World Religions, etc.) ... for you need to understand and be conversant for your entire life in a broad range of subjects essential to human progress in addition to the physical sciences.

Always remember that to participate in a debate you should openly decline the invitation unless you can forcefully and logically argue both (or the many) sides of the subject. Monocular, uncurious or one sided "knowledge" is pathetic and the sure sign of the domains of the stupid, and often the immoral, the anti-human people among us.

Truly intelligent people take the time and do the work to actually understand the subject at hand in all of it's essential variations, and it's relationship to other important subjects.

Have you taken the time and done your homework through life experiences as well as formal education to grasp what humanity is capable of becoming?

If you find yourself in a bad place to ever succeed ... get out! Do what you have to do. Don't let fate limit your potential contribution to and enjoyment of the gift of life.

Know that there is nothing at all holy about the societal structures humans have so far created, including the form of government, the laws and the societal mores where you now live. The proofs are there in examining constant human propensity for war and dominance behaviors and theft of individuality (and quality of life) of the powerful over the weak. But note also that you do not want weak and/or uneducated minds to be making important decisions, directly or indirectly. In any event, our track record as a species is nowhere near as great as we are taught to believe. Our short lives are accompanied by our even shorter memories of human failures, both old and current.

To the extent possible develop your own mental foundations of beliefs and life purpose, and the means to achieve your goals. Mimicing the teachings and preachings of others is inferior to taking all you are (can be) exposed to, integrating it with your personal life experiences, and developing from ground up the basis for your beliefs. In short, reason instead of simply reacting to life. Do not be a blind follower.

Some realities about aging: (my least favorite but unavoidable subject)

You may or may not be aware of what awaits you, in stages, as you transition from age 20 to, hopefully, age 80 or beyond. The biggest single item we tend to ignore or overlook prior to age 50 is the fact that virtually all of the people/relatives/acquaintances from your parents generation will die within the next 15 years. And next to that is the sadly increasing number of friends and loved ones from your own generation who will die during those same years, losing the gift of life ... forever.

Some of us become markedly aware of the temporary character of life when our parents die. Suddenly we are orphans in our home town ... even if we no longer live there. Think about the social connections of your parents that made the community open to you that suddenly no longer exist. You know not even the phone numbers or the names of most of those connections, so if you live elsewhere, you have become a stranger in what was your home town.

The point is simple. The world you knew prior to age 50 has been disappearing a bit at a time, said changes barely being acknowledged for what they are ... the sign that your time and that of your generation are also disappearing, such that with increasing speed you will wonder what happened to life? Where is the life you knew? Friend, it is going out of existence, forever, as will you also. Dwell on that truth too much and it will destroy your happiness ... yet don't ignore it as you and the rest of us need to focus on a worthy alternative.

By all means try to maintain your health and fitness from childhood until whatever age you unavoidably decline ... which is a matter of genetics and secondarily all living habits, not simply exercise. The point is that you cannot enjoy the opportunities of life (work or play) that require physical fitness if that is what you lack. Yet sadly we all decline, as we have yet to wake up to the essential pursuit of immortality with high physical and mental prowess via genetic engineering.

Death sucks!

I believe that sums up this summary document about how to live life and how to think about it.

Enough guidance ... Good luck!

John Wright (Though I am sometimes, perhaps often, wrong or incomplete in my thinking! I have learned the dangers of hubris.)