Last Fling

In times of uncertainty or of entering upon some new venture, there is a tendency on the part of altogether too many, especially those who are young and immature, to indulge in what has come to be called one “last fling.” Realizing the uncertainty of life, and, in their confusion, mistrusting tomorrow, they may set about to crowd years into moments, to gratify appetites, to cut loose, so to speak. It is a recurrence of the old and false philosophy “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” This fallacious argument has been used in many generations and by many people who wanted justification for indulgence. This idea of having a “last fling” is all wrong. No man is ever going to have a “last fling.” Men are immortal, and a so-called “last fling” is just a step down on an eternal road, and there is no justification for any young man, or for anyone, no matter what immediate future he faces, to take the attitude that he is going to enjoy something cheap and shoddy before he meets the eventualities of life that he is going to throw caution and decency to the winds, and break out on one grand spree. After the scenes of this life close behind us, we’ll still have ourselves to live with, and our record to account for. Nor does anyone ever get the satisfaction out of a “last fling” that he thought he was going to. This kind of escape isn’t escape at all. It is merely a piling up of difficulties, a multiplying of disappointments, an increasing of disillusionment. Even if we were sure that there were only a little of life left to live, the way to live it wouldn’t be to break all the rules we know. The only reasonable way would be to live so that no matter what the future holds we will have no regrets and no apologies to make for the past. There is no good sense in setting out to have a “last fling.” When the stresses of life are great, and the future is uncertain, and when confusion is upon us, then it the time for sober thinking, not for careless living.