Things to Tell School Leavers?       -   Chris Snuggs BACK
This is work in progress; any ideas (or criticisms!) are welcome!
	Life is a miracle. Your life is a privilege the dead cannot enjoy. Be worthy of this privilege.
	The most valuable thing in your life is FREEDOM, which cannot be taken for granted. Men and women have died to give it to you, and you may have to fight to keep it one day.
	The Truth is fundamental to a successful and happy society, but make up your OWN mind what is true based on the evidence and logic. Be sceptical of what you're told or read until you know and are confident of the original source and evidence.
	Say what is on your mind. Tell the truth as you see it.  "Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it'll always get you the right ones." (John Lennon)
	"No man is an island." (Read and love this poem.) We are in a sense all brothers-in-arms, and are strongest and most fulfilled when we work together.
	The most beautiful and profound wisdom is the plea to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Try to live by it.
	RAG (Respect And Gratitude). Very few things are free in this world: almost EVERYTHING has to be worked for, and should therefore never be taken for granted.
	When you get old and look back over your life you may tend to regret things you have done in the past. The best way to avoid such regrets (especially any hurt caused to others) is not to make the mistake in the first place.
	Being nice to people is a good feeling, so be selfish and get lots of that good feeling by being as nice as you can to people.
	The same applies if you have "feelings" for someone. People are not mindreaders, and "Faint heart never won fair lady." You lose nothing by saying how you feel, but you could lose everything by keeping quiet.
	You probably know from experience once when you did something you thought was good but nobody thanked or congratulated you. GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE is kind, encouraging, appreciative and positive. Likewise, do not fear to criticize when THAT is appropriate, but adapt your language and delivery carefully to whatever you are criticising.
	"The harder I work the more luck I seem to have." (possibly Thomas Jefferson, but worth heeding whoever said it)
	Mottoes are often profound. "Who dares, wins." is the famous S.A.S. motto, but this is my version: "Who doesn't dare can hardly hope to win." In other words: CARPE DIEM; GO FOR IT. Not succeeding is NOT a failure, but not TRYING is.
	Keeping in touch with good schoolfriends isn't easy as one gets caught up in further education, career, marriage and so on, but the effort is worth it and the failure to make that effort may well be a cause of regret in later life.
	The ability to empathize is precious and valuable - and the key to success in human relations in all areas. It starts by concentrating when you listen to people and watch them.
	What matters in life (particularly in politics) is what people DO, not what they SAY.
	It's nice to have a party trick, and everyone can be good at at least ONE thing. Find something you enjoy doing and work at it until you are really good at it. That could be mime, doing different accents, card or conjuring tricks, telling jokes, repeating pertinent quotations or whatever. Having a party-trick is a win-win skill: you can entertain and impress people by doing something you enjoy.
	One can learn a lot from the wise of the past. Learn some quotes that appeal to you. Here is a collection to start with!
FINALLY: "I'm not interested in politics." SERIOUSLY? Not being interested in politics is to be frank STUPID. POLITICS DECIDES EVERYTHING, and in a democratic society you have some CHANCE to change things which MILLIONS on the planet do not have. If you do not in any way participate in politics then you cannot complain about anything the government does to you.