So, we're putting ourselves into the shoes we wore around the time we were finishing high school. If you weren't technically finishing (like myself, who failed my last year quite miserably), this can still apply. I've been considering the reason that society expects us to make of the most serious life decisions we're ever left to make in our entire lives at the unseasoned, young age of eighteen.
What are you going to go to school for? What's your major going to be? What do you want to do FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?
Society says, "DECIDE NOW!", but how can this possibly be expected to happen at all?!
Personally, when I was eighteen years old, I didn't have a clue. Well, I'm sure I had a few ideas, but no true aspirations or motivation to dive in and pursue such dramatically important responsibilities as knowing what I was going to eventually support a family doing. I didn't even want a family at eighteen. I was an inexperienced, ignorant, yet blossoming, adolescent boy. I have no problem admitting that now, but if you were to ask me seven years ago, I would've bent over backwards to make you believe that everything I stood for was completely justified, wise, and better than yours.
At eighteen, I knew that I despised the education system. School was a waste of my time and George Bush was the reason for most of my problems on top of it all. I knew that playing in a band was more important than my classes at the local community college would ever be. I even knew I wasn't ever going to have kids. I knew a lot.
In retrospect, yes, almost all of my views, opinions, and philosophies have since evolved into ones I want to believe are more mature and rational in these short few years since my eighteenth. I can laugh at myself, sure, but does that mean I'm not going to be able to look back at myself in this moment a few years from now and do the same thing? I obviously could never know. The important thing is, that at some point in those years since, I've found something for myself to focus on. A goal, you know? A destination that finally floats on my horizons in a soft light of hopefulness. Will it change? Maybe. Probably. Part of me believes that it constantly should. The blog's called "Onwards & Upwards" for that reason (among many others), folks.
So, enough about me. Let's talk about you! What do you do? Where did you go to school? What was your major?
Exactly. There's way too much focus put on those sort of questions in society. Back off, people. Take your time. Be patient. The truly wise will always tell you that if something is meant to happen, it's going to happen when it's the right time. That it'll happen for a reason too. We all know how stressful it can be to find ourselves standing in the open without a direction to walk in. I'm just saying that you shouldn't force it. Everyone finds their bearings eventually. Don't pretend to know it. Don't convince yourself it's right just because "time's up" and people tell you that you'll fall too far behind and be left in the dust by your peers.
Life's long. It's usually up to the individual to take the optimistic approach to it. Just know that you've got all the time in the world to finish growing up, find yourself, discover your truest passions, and embrace them in a timely manner.
The warm, sunny days are almost here, Chicago suburbs. Lift your heads up, enjoy the summer, let yourself get distracted, and hopefully you'll be lucky enough to stumble across your path in the midst of it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment