Everything feels like it happens so fast now and yet I have nearly no free time despite all this convenience. I did things one at a time and had to make an effort to do things like shop or go to the bank or pay bills or whatever. I cannot believe how many books I read and all the time I spent in the local library just browsing the stacks of all sorts of random shit; it was not routinely pared down to popular books, but had all sorts of odds and ends. I deliberately listened to music by putting a tape in the machine, and it was active listening. Radio was creative and beautiful. The local bar I spent time at was home to all sorts of burgeoning local bands. Food was not "small plates" at trendy bistros, but was sizeable satisfactory portions of ordinary food. A trip to the mall was an adventure, and my mall even had a library branch in it. You went to fish fry dinners at the Royal Canadian Legion on Fridays. One restaurant we used to go to we had to write our order down on a pad inside the kitchen, and the cook would come and slap your food in front of you. If you phoned someone and they weren't home, you just phoned later on.

Nothing felt shitty and overly marketed and ads just existed and weren't tailored to you. Television sitcoms lasted 26 seasons and you had to wait until next week to see the next one.

Even social media was better before Facebook, it felt organic and you made friends for life. Even early Twitter felt like this constant humorous conversation even if you didn't agree with someone. Nobody was routinely crucified for misstepping in public (not that they shouldn't sometimes). Things were definitely more generic but didn't feel fake and marketed and inauthentic. Google was better and actually found things and didn't just spit out a few results and then start adding unrelated things.

I'm not trying to sing the ballad of the boomer in B Minor; I appreciate convenience. I am tired of seeing bloated companies turn everything into shit. I want art and music and local watering holes to flourish. I want food to be good and satisfying. I don't want every episode dropped at once. I just want things to slow down.

So my advice is slow down. Do one thing at a time. Go places and do one thing. Go to old restaurants. Go read paper books at the library. Go listen to a band at a bar. Do things. Don't reduce it all to your phone. This is my goal for the new year is to do things.

Go outside. Interact with real people.

I take offence at 30 being old 😅

If you're romantically interested in someone, say "hey, I'm romantically interested in you".

Do not have a "crush", do not have a friend you're secretly in love with, do not secretly pine for anyone. It is not interesting, it does not make you stronger, you are not the protagonist in a romance novel, and you are dumb if you want to try to "save our friendship".

If the other person is not interested, say "Thank you for your honesty. It's been nice knowing you" and move on with your life. Stop wasting time. Life is too short.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't waste precious time on imaginary scenarios.

My best advice? Stop considering 30 to be old.

Older people (30+)

LOLolol...

I've spent my whole adulthood working in hospitals. They're shitholes, every single last one of them. Do every single thing you can to never be in one.

Drink water, plain water. Eat whole grains and leafy vegetables. Treat red meat like a dessert (and if you're morally opposed to meat, make sure you're still getting all your essential proteins). Find a physical activity you enjoy and do it at least three times a week. Either join an organized religion or specifically curate a group of people you do a weekly activity with who will come check on you if you suddenly stop showing up. And while you're at it pick a mindfulness activity that you either enjoy or that brings you peace (prayer qualifies but so can yoga or a lot of other things). Avoid nicotine and alcohol at all costs. Go easy on the weed, and avoid anything more interesting without guidance from either a medical professional or some kind of traditional expert on those substances. And if a competent doctor listens to your specific situation and tells you to do or not do something I've mentioned, listen to them instead of me.

Decide who you would want to speak for you on your death or near-deathbed. Choose people both trustworthy and level-headed who will put your wishes over their own emotions. Choose multiple people, because it's not unlikely that any one person will be in the car wreck with you. Talk to those people about what you want to happen or not happen so they can best carry out your wishes. Sign some kind of legally binding paperwork that cements them as the decision maker, especially if your first choice is not the default the state would choose (parent, spouse, sibling, adult child, etc). You can write whatever you want then to do on the paper, but the chosen person will have the right to override it if they think you would want them to. So sign the paper but don't forget to TALK to them about it.

And good luck because while this will give you the best odds, the universe might also just decide to fuck you in particular anyway.

Don’t listen to strangers on the internet

Read books, get off the internet.

• Do not assume older people have anything at all figured out

Cut out social media from your life completely. No, I swear to god, this is life changing advice not some boomer platitudes about how kids these days are always in their phones.

You don't realize how much life you are missing by being completely stuck to your phone. I promise the world will continue to turn if you ignore your phone for a few hours at a time.

Quit Facebook, quit Instagram, quit X, quit TikTok. If you feel like you are bored and want to open the apps, try something else. Read a book, start a creative writing project, listen to music while meditating, play video games, do some woodworking, go for a walk or a hike with your dog, learn a new language, go out to the bar or club and socialize, go to the gym and work out, draw stuff from your imagination.

I promise promise promise you will feel better. Not right away, but very soon after you start doing these things instead of the vapid doomscrolling, shitposting, clout-chasing, self-aggrandizing social media spiral you will realize that you don't need your phone. You are able to live your best life when you aren't thinking about what's being posted online or taking constant selfies or photographing every meal you eat.

Your future self will thank me.

Drink water... seriously. Make tea if needed. No sodas.

Invest heavily in a good mattress, you spend 1/3 of your life on it.

Try and make something. Woodworking, painting, music, anything that makes you feel happy.

Find 2 or 3 good friends and keep them for life.

Stay away from religions and cults.

(optional) get a dog. Man and dog evolved together, we need each other.

After 60+ years I don't offer generic unsolicited advice any more (I learned that lesson) but if I were going to break that rule, I'd suggest you read books. Actually read them too, don't rely on audio books, and read as widely as you can. Sci-fi, mystery, romance, historical, non-fiction, just try to read a book a month. To lose yourself in a book is one of the great ways to maintain mental health.

Also, don't offer unsolicited advice.

I'm 48. I'm going to expend many of you here are white men much younger than me.

Some words if advice.

1. Have kids young. You will never be ready. There is an old expression, "In for a penny. In for a pound.". Either you like the idea of kids or not. If you do, don't wait just do it.

2. Romance. African women are 🥰. If they're part of the Diaspora and like me you tend to be more if an introvert the juxtaposition can work amazing.

3. Don't forget the forest for the trees. Yes the world is on fire. Yes things are increasingly bleak and hopeless. Enjoy life. You have family and friends and they are still important and mean something. Cherish that.

4. Everyone makes mistakes. What's important is do you learn from them and how do you recover?

5. Comparison is the thief of joy.

6. Be different. Be contrary. Challenge. If everyone jumps turn around and look at the person telling you to jump but don't do it blindly.

Younger generations? Find your fucking way out of wild capitalism. You deserve to have a home, free time and mental health.

if you are truly down and out.

hop a freight train, travel with nothing but a backpack.

the world WILL provide

Best advice, dont break 2 laws at once. If you are going to drink alcohol underage, dont drive. If you are going to smoke weed, dont do it while you are trespassing somewhere etc etc.

Read books, go to therapy,

Reject defensiveness and self righteousness. Embrace humility and human connection.

Volunteer. Social connectedness is the factor most correlated with happiness.

It's not easy.

Don't smoke, don't drink, don't use recreational drugs.

No sugar, no processed foods. Make all your own meals from the freshest ingredients you can afford, mostly vegetables. Food is not entertainment, food is not reward.

Avoid antibiotics in your cleaning products and food, so when you need them to save your life, they work better.

Exercise, move, get up off your ass.

Pay attention to your body, don't avoid doctors because you don't want bad news. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. The older you get, the more issues you have. Doing the previous things above, makes this part much easier.

Put yourself first, if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.

Party all the time. Use all drugs. Fuck with everyone you can.

Older people (30+)

Wear the fucking retainer after braces come off.

I asked this same question to my older coworkers back when I was 20. The main answer I got was: travel, travel, travel! “Travel before you have kids.” “Travel before you start a long-term career.” “Travel before you buy a house.”

Naturally, being a Millennial, all three of those things became non-issues. 🙃

So let me give some advice for the ages instead, regardless of what the future may hold for you:

• Never stop learning

• It’s okay to not know what you want to do with life

• And, especially in a post-truth, AI-infested world, question everything!

Take the time to learn what logical fallacies are (at least the common ones.) You WILL encounter them, and knowing when you or someone else is using faulty logic can keep you from harm, whether it be from another person (like what we see in politics) or from yourself (like the “Sunk Cost Fallacy,” which might otherwise lead you to stick with bad jobs, bad relationships, and more.)

Tangentially, it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” Nobody knows everything. Anyone who expects you to know any given thing (unless you’re known to have studied it, of course) isn’t someone worth the admiration of. People with realistic expectations will see you as genuine, and being genuine can carry you far.

I could probably think of more if given the time, but those are the most important things off the top of my head. I’m open to questions in the comments; I’ve lived quite a peculiar life, so I’ve got a range of experiences, from being a homeless vandweller, to being a pilot, to pivoting 90° to working with kids and making art. I’m more than happy to answer any questions that might help people out!

Start exercise today. Younger folks gain strength and speed much easier than old people. Lack of physical capability kills the elderly, so the more strength and stamina you start with and work to maintain, the longer you will be mobile.

Do cardio and strength exercises. Endurance should be at least 80% of your cardio, that means slow. Brisk walks or slow jogs. For strength training focus on big hinge movements like squats. Start out small, body weight exercises, and go from there. Get some time with a trainer to check your form.

Start exercising. Now. Doesn't matter how old you are. Find the time. Doesn't have to be a full blown gym habit, just consistent, makes-you-sweat exercise. It will never be easier to get in the habit.

30+ here. Drink more water, wear sunscreen, take photos of your friends, and don’t marry someone just because the Wi-Fi is shared

First of all: rude! I dont want to think about climbing on 40.

Jest aside here are some things I always put off writing down from the back of my mind:

If you have the support structure, get children at the earliest point you feel somewhat comfortable - do you'll be around each other for longer.

No table stands only on two legs - you should always cultivate three sets of skills that are potentially money earning.

Tend to your outlets - everyone should do something as an emotional, creative, physical and structural outlet. You also must avoid combining more than two. Always create something, never stop moving and always consider your self and others well-being.

Maintain your attention span - avoid inattentive use of fast paced media

Budgeting, learn it, do it, don't overcomplicate it. There is no way to become rich fast and stay a decent person.

Strive to learn at least one other language - every language is like you unlock a new facette of your soul.

Life is hard and stressful whether you're kind or unkind, so be kind. I don't mean be a doormat, but don't be a dick.

Everyone needs to do exercise with resistance (weights, bands, bodyweight). You will not get too muscular by accident. It will prevent aches and pains, it will prevent injuries, it will make it more likely you survive car accidents and false.

Everyone needs to floss, there are no exceptions.

Everyone needs time outside in nature. If you live in a city, get to a park every week, preferably every day. It changes our brain chemistry. We aren't organized to live in boxes all day.

Learn how to breathe. If you think that sounds silly, you're the example.

Learn to cook. When you can't contribute anything else, being able to contribute food is universally accepted

I’m nearly 40 and the world they are facing is so different to what I experienced that I don’t know if any advice I could give would even make sense.

Don’t suffer fools, I guess. Life is too short to put up with people who don’t, won’t or can’t respect you. You don’t have to make it a big deal, in fact that might be the wrong move if you’re dealing with a narcissist. Instead become uninteresting when interacting with them. The Grey Rock technique.

My marriage is approaching 30 years now.

A lot of this goes without saying or as some would say common sense. Only there is no common sense as it is too subjective of a term. Look at me, I am already digressing and I haven't even started.

Everything you know about life and love will change in your lifetime. Everything you have learned is a half truth. You sometimes find happiness when you can find the whole truth for yourself. This often means you may end up in conflict with culture, society, or even family. This is normal.

If you love and care about yourself, you can truly love and care about someone else. Although there may be sacrifice in relationships, the factor that makes them work is how you build each other up. A marriage or any partnership should always be about helping each other achieve more.

Be grateful for your life and everything you have and everyone you know everyday. Say it out loud, tell it to the people in your family, in your friendships, in your workplace, and most importantly in your close relationships.

Not only is it important to say it, it is important to show it through your actions. A common trope is actions are louder than words. Both are actually important, although I do have a preference for people showing it because it validates what they say.

Treat people how they want to be treated. This blows the golden rule out of the water. Don't know how they want to be treated? This is normal. You ask them. Asking someone how they want to be treated and treating them that way is the surest way to gain respect.

Unless you save you are not paying yourself anything. If you spend everything you make you are literally stealing from your future. Always save everything you can and invest it if you want it to grow. Think twice about purchases, especially if they are major. Being a little thrifty in life is way better than living paycheck to paycheck.