It can be scary to imagine the future. The unknown is something humans have always struggled with. It’s hard to accept that your control is very limited. You can’t see what’s coming up and you can’t predict your own future. As hard as you might try, you just can’t do it. I would be okay with this, if the future seemed bright in this world. But unfortunately, I have every reason to panic.

First off, there’s always some type of war going on. Be it physical or verbal, people just can’t seem to get along. We’re fighting because of intolerance and hatred. With hatred in this country growing so quickly, I don’t see an end to violence anytime soon. So, of course I worry about my safety and if I’ll be allowed to express myself in the future. One wrong word, and my credibility and respect are gone. It’s tough to decide when to speak up and when to stay quiet. We’re told to stand up for ourselves no matter what, and when we do the same people telling us to fight begin to fight back. How are we supposed to discern what to do in different situations, if it always ends in fighting no matter how careful we are?

There’s also a very competitive job market that I will be competing in soon. With businesses going bankrupt and jobs disappearing, I’m not really excited for my professional future. I’m definitely prepared and capable of working hard, but when the odds are against me, how can I not worry? Even finding an internship requires years of experience now. Students can’t get experience on the job because no one will take the chance to train them. School is our only experience sometimes and many businesses don’t think that’s enough. If I can’t find someone willing to hire me, when I have all the skills necessary for the job and a decent resume, what am I supposed to do? I have student debt waiting for me when I graduate. Of course I worry about getting a job and being able to support myself financially.

It doesn’t help that most of my future income with go to student debt, taxes, overpriced goods and high interest mortgages. The world is not making it easy for people to survive after graduating. Not only do I worry about finding a job, but I worry if that job will be enough to support me. Part of this comes from my materialistic nature. I’m told by media that I need this or that to be happy. I’m pressured every day to spend my money on useless things. I’m also forced to spend my money on things that someone else has deemed necessary. Perhaps I could go without certain things that I’m not permitted to go without. It’s a never-ending battle with society and income regulations. The majority of my income-spending after graduation is already pre-determined. That’s a little scary to think about.

There’s so many reasons to worry about my future, but the truth is, I’ll probably be okay. Yes the future scares me, but that’s no reason to just give up. They say that everything works out in the end, and so far, I‘ve always seen that to be true. The future does scare me, but I can control my attitude no matter what. In good and bad times, I can always control how I react. That little bit of power in this world means all the difference. I know that in the future I can be always be happy and remain thankful because nothing can control my attitude like I can. Not even the future.