Advice to new graduates

1. Develop frontal lobe - The young mind tends to choose the option that will result in the biggest reaction rather than the one which is less controversial but better in the long term. One manifestation is using curse words to express emotion. Practice expressing alternatives to swearing; this is one way to force your mind to work harder to generate a response using the frontal lobe and improve cognitive thinking.

2. Embrace uncertainty - With more data being generated, analyzed and available it is important to recognize the odds and probabilities the data represents and the implications it suggests. Focus both on the most and the least likely; the former has implications for the majority but the latter is where fewer are affected but the implications are often bigger.

3. Question information sources - More facts, news and opinions are available than ever before, but it is necessary to ensure their authenticity before acting on them. It is also necessary to recognize the difference between opinion based on thoughts and experience and those with a factual basis.

4. Challenge undeserved authority - In most societies the echelon of the oldest have the levers of control in their hands and also contribute much influence via money. These characteristics usually serve a society well, but there are occasions when the need for change becomes urgent. It is therefore incumbent on members of society to express disagreement and dissatisfaction with the members and institutions of authority when their stance is based solely on tradition or the simple preservation of control.

5. Reclaim liberty - The government can review your library borrowing, monitor your bank financial transactions and listen to your phone conversations without notifying you. They can exclude you from flying on an airplane and require you to give your DNA while you are presumed innocent. Ask the government to prove that these abrogations of liberty are still necessary and then demand their repeal.