Journal de Jacques

So today was my first day at UWA. I committed the classic fresher faux pas by turning up late.

Actually, I turned up on time. To the wrong theatre. I went to the geography theatre; I was meant to go to geology. The former turned out to be teaching vege-maths for business students (which explained why so many people were there).

My second lecture was Java Programming, a unit which at UWA is prerequisite for every computer science unit. It’s aimed at people who’ve never programmed before and frankly, based on my first lecture, I expect it will be a doddle.

Bachelor of Computer Science. I start on July 23rd.

It’s commonly said that “youth is wasted on the young”. The implication is that the young have the energy, vigour and vitality to do all the things which the older and wiser wished they still could. That we’d relive things and “do it right” this time — dance more, love more, smile more, drink more (or less); in short live more. And probably borrow less.

But this is all backwards. Youth isn’t wasted on the young.

I think that it’s pointless pining for lost youth. Stupidity is part of being young. Wisdom is costly and there’s no way to earn it but to stick around for a while.

So instead of giving youth to the wise, it might be more useful to give wisdom to the young. After all, each is about as impossible as the other. So stuff wasted youth, here’s my new axiom of this ancient curse:

Wisdom is wasted on the wise.

And finally I have DSL again. Sweet merciful DSL.