The term YOLO was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 20162 but appears as early as 2011 when Drake, the Canadian singer and hip-hop artist, used it in a famous, excessively profane song.4 A fresh iteration of the ironically timeless “Carpe Diem,” YOLO is as plastic as that term, molding itself to any single person’s perception of the good life. How I employ it reveals my heart priorities, the things I most value, and the dimly apprehended reality that what I believe about tomorrow will necessarily shape how I live today. The deeper and more alarming truth, however, is not that you only live once. You actually live twice, the second time forever. It’s the death that happens once—and how you spend it is the critical factor for how you live not only for evermore, but for now.


This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with Journal author Anne Kennedy about her online-exclusive article, “You Only Die Once: Why It’s Okay Not to Live in the Present”.

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Other articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author

Episode 216 Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Why Do I Call Myself Good? A Look at Virtue Signaling

Episode 211: There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

There Is No Health in Us: Wellness and Self-Care in the Age of COVID-19

Episode 209 She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

She Who Has Eyes, Let Her See: A look at Didn’t See That Coming by Rachel Hollis

Episode 204: The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

The Road Back to Where? A Look at Self Discovery Using the Enneagram

Episode 198 Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Cancel Culture and the Gospel: Where Can You Go When The Whole World Is Against You?

Episode 193 Catching UP with Rachel Hollis, Glennon Doyle & Jen Hatmaker

Episode 191 Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Gods, Gold, and Cheetahs: The Theological Vision of Untamed

Episode 181 But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

But What If It Is Me? The Work and Worldview of Brené Brown

Episode 178 Worshipping Together

Episode 160-Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Naming Names: Why It’s OK (and Necessary) to Call Out False Teachers and Fugitives from Church Justice by Name

Episode 151 Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Am I a Bad Christian for Watching Hallmark Christmas Movies?

Episode 147 Book Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage and An Evaluation of 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

A Helper Like Me: A Review of Modern Kinship: A Queer Guide to Christian Marriage by David and Constantino Khalaf

Losing Faith: A Look at the 2019 Evolving Faith Conference

Episode 140 The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

The Unhindered Leadership of Jen Hatmaker

The Theological “Mess” in the “Moxie” of Jen Hatmaker

Episode 136 Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

Have You Considered Trying Harder: The Theology of Rachel Hollis

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