The story of "Wear Sunscreen"
(Openculture)
On June 1, 1997, Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune columnist and Brenda Starr cartoonist, wrote a column entitled “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young.” In her introduction to the column she described it as the commencement speech she would give to the class of ’97 if she were asked to give one.
Speech of “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”
(Original)
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97: Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are up to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
Traducción de “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” en español
Damas y caballeros de la clase del '97: Usen protector solar.
Si pudiera ofrecerles solo un consejo para el futuro, sería el protector solar. Los beneficios a largo plazo de usar protector solar han sido demostrados por científicos, mientras que el resto de los consejos que les daré solamente están basados en mi propia experiencia sinuosa. Daré estos consejos ahora.
Disfruta el poder y la belleza de tu juventud. O bueno, no importa. No comprenderás el poder y la belleza de tu juventud hasta que esta se haya desvanecido. Pero confía en mí, en 20 años vas a mirar fotos viejas de ti mismo y recordarás, de una manera que ahora mismo no puedes comprender, cuántas posibilidades tenías ante ti y lo fabuloso que realmente te veías. No eres tan gordo como te imaginas.
No te preocupes por el futuro. O preocúpate, pero sabiendo que preocuparse es tan efectivo como tratar de resolver una ecuación de álgebra masticando chicle. Los verdaderos problemas de tu vida van a ser cosas que nunca cruzaron tu preocupada mente, del tipo de cosas que te sorprenden a las 4 pm de un martes cualquiera.
Todos los días, haz una cosa que te asuste.
Canta.
No seas desconsiderado con los corazones de otras personas. No soportes que otras personas sean desconsiderados con el tuyo.
Utiliza hilo dental.
No pierdas tu tiempo con los celos. A veces estás por delante de los demás, a veces estás por detrás. La carrera es larga y, al final, compites solo contigo mismo.
Recuerda los elogios que recibas. Olvídate de los insultos. Si logras hacer esto, dime cómo.
Guarda tus viejas cartas de amor. Tira a la basura los resúmenes viejos de transacciones bancarias.
Elonga.
No te sientas culpable si no sabes qué es lo que quieres hacer con tu vida. La gente más interesante que conozco, a los 22 años no sabían qué querían hacer con sus vidas. Algunas de las personas de 40 años más interesantes que conozco todavía no lo saben.
Consume mucho calcio. Sé amable con tus rodillas. Las extrañarás cuando ya no estén.
Quizás te cases, quizás no. Quizás vayas a tener hijos, quizás no. Quizás te divorcies a los 40, quizás bailes la macarena en tu aniversario de bodas número 75. Hagas lo que hagas, no te enorgullescas demasiado de ti mismo, ni te castigues tampoco. La mitad de tus elecciones son al azar. También lo son la de todos los demás.
Disfruta tu cuerpo. Úsalo de todas las formas que puedas. No tengas miedo de hacerlo ni de lo que puedan pensar los demás. Es el mejor instrumento que tendrás en toda tu vida.
Baila, incluso si solo puedes hacerlo en tu sala de estar.
Lee las instrucciones, incluso si no las vas a seguir.
No leas revistas de belleza. Solo te harán sentir feo.
Conoce a tus padres. Nunca se sabe cuándo se irán para siempre. Sé amable con tus hermanos. Ellos son el mejor vínculo con tu pasado y las personas con más probabilidades de permanecer a tu lado en el futuro.
Entiende que las amistades van y vienen, pero deberías aferrarte a aquellas pocas que consideres valiosas. Trabaja duro en salvar la distancia entre la geografía y el estilo de vida porque, cuanto más envejeces, más necesitas a las personas que te conocieron cuando eras joven.
Vive en la ciudad de Nueva York alguna vez, pero vete de allí antes de que las cosas se te dificulten. Vive en el norte de California alguna vez, pero vete de allí antes de que te ablande. Viaja.
Acepta ciertas verdades inevitables: Los precios subirán. Los políticos engañarán. Tú también envejecerás. Y, cuando lo hagas, fantasearás con que cuando eras joven los precios eran razonables, los políticos eran nobles y los niños respetaban a sus mayores.
Respeta a tus mayores.
No esperes que nadie te apoye. Tal vez tengas un fideicomiso, quizás tengas una pareja millonaria. Pero nunca se sabe cuándo se puedan acabar.
No estropees demasiado tu cabello, o para cuando tengas 40 años parecerás de 85.
Ten cuidado de quién tomas los consejos, pero sé paciente con aquellos que te los dan. Dar un consejo es una forma de la nostalgia. Es una forma de recuperar el pasado de la basura, limpiarlo, pintar sobre las partes feas y reciclarlo por más de lo que realmente vale.
Pero confía en mí en lo de usar protector solar.
The song “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”
Australian film director Baz Luhrmann used the essay in its entirety on his 1998 album Something for Everybody, turning it into his hit single “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen).” With spoken-word lyrics over a mellow backing track by Zambian dance music performer Rozalla, the song was an unexpected worldwide hit, reaching number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and number one in the United Kingdom.
The thing is, Luhrmann and his team did not realize that Schmich was the actual author of the speech until they sought out permission to use the lyrics. They believed it was written by author Kurt Vonnegut.
Best video
Lyrics (chorus):
Brother and sister together will make it through
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out, whenever I can.
Brother and sister together will make it through, oh yeah
Someday a spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there for you
And I'll be there just helping you out, whenever I can.
Everybody's free, oh yeah, everybody's free, oh yeah, oh, to feel good.
Remix (Mau Kilauea)
Remix (Rozalla)
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