Appreciating Life
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller
From the start, Ferris encompassed the idea of living life to the fullest. He was not afraid to try new things and take risks, but he was afraid of the future. He knew that after his senior year of high school, he would not see Cameron as much and his girlfriend would be far away. Instead of thinking about the future, Ferris decided to enjoy the moment and make the most of every second he spent with the people he cared about. As found in Health, a highly acclaimed magazine, "People who are regularly grateful—who acknowledge the goodness in life and the sources of it—are generally healthier and happier," (Healthy Happy, 1.) Acknowledging the small pleasures in life and finding your own happiness is a major step in the coming of age process, and every character at some point in Ferris Bueller's Day Off represents this ideology. No time was wasted during their day off and just 24 hours was filled with enough excitement for a lifetime. Ferris taught Cameron especially to come of age in this way by means of being a role model to him and simply leading an extraordinary life, in turn showing Cameron he is in control of his own happiness.
Starting at about 1:20, Ferris gives his famous quote, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." Ferris knows that he's growing up and will soon not be able to spend to time with his friends as they head off to college. So, he lives his life by this motto, wanting to be happy in the present and not having to worry about the future.