Current psychological research indicates that the developmental stage of adolescence is being stretched out on both ends: children begin to feel the need to grow up earlier, yet they actually grow up much later than ever before. This elongated maturation period provides more time for adolescents to attain a higher level of life satisfaction. Thus, rather than moving out, getting married, and raising a family by his/her early twenties, an individual (who is privileged enough) may take some time after high school to travel, hope to “find him/herself” for four or more years, and maybe find cheap rent somewhere that isn’t a parent's basement. Therefore, “what’s trending” for the millennial generation is being happy and comfortable, rather than responsible and self-reliant.
Attending a college in the United States is an opportunity to maximize personal control over our environment: a transitional period in which we attempt to ground the provisional self and align this newly formed identity with our future goals. In searching for a sense of direction throughout the rapid bombardment of challenging and taxing college experiences, we cognitively construct a form of self-absorbing tunnel vision that results in the solidification of “Me-ism." Me-ism is a dogmatic adherence to egotistic behavior that is inherently limiting in nature. It is so easy to be Me-istic in place where you live within walking distance of your workspace; a place where other people hand you food nearly instantaneously; a place where having sex is as easy as—and often goes hand-in-hand with—drinking beer.
To follow a religion, or to openly embrace the idea that there is someone/something greater than the self, could not be a more antithetical idea to Me-ists. Regardless of what holy book one possesses, to be a follower means that one must submit to the word of an Other. What a difficult task this may be to someone who is disillusioned by the belief that not a single, external force can contribute to the outcome of his/her own life.
If not completely synonymous, Me-ism is as close to atheism as you can get. To be an atheist on a college campus often means that one finds pseudo-solidarity with other atheists in stigmatizing mainstream religion as anti-intellectual and inherently oppressive. Ironically, while an atheist may quickly allude to an uncharacteristically high statistic of Christians that support Creationism or of Muslims that do not believe in gender equality, he/she probably finds it difficult to come to terms with the reality that that the world rotates with him/her and not around him/her. Furthermore, this understanding that individual life is but a stitch in a continually culminating fabric of people, events, and circumstances is equally humbling as it is empowering. How can submission to moral guidelines (that aren’t our own) possibly be a form of liberation? Although this paradox may seem too unworldly to conceptualize, I strongly encourage that you ask yourself this question. If so, you are not only applying critical thought to scientifically testing your beliefs, but you are also shedding the layers of the Me-istic manacle. By conquering the ego, we are left with the curiosity, fortitude, and responsibility to search the unknown realm of a selfless abyss in hopes of finding more information (in perfect scientific fashion). Although you may not find the answer that you seek, I assure you that you will find the next best thing: people.
