Do you ever notice how you spend the majority of your life living by the decisions that other people make for you (i.e. your parents, teachers, and friends)? The only “pure,” uninfluenced aspects of you were your dreams and aspirations. At age three, I wanted to become an astronaut (or as I affectionately called it, a “spaceman”) and everyone applauded me and said I was cute. At age seven, I wanted to become an artist and everyone encouraged me and my scribbles. At age 10, people started telling me to be more realistic so I said I wanted to be a doctor. At age 14, all I cared about was my social image and status going into high school. At age 16, I gave up my dreams and aspirations because I didn’t have time to pursue them. Then suddenly, I turned 18; I graduated and was on my own. After applying to college, I had to figure out what friends to keep and what to leave behind. And here I am again, wondering what my dreams and aspirations were because everyone once told me, “you can’t do that; it’s not realistic enough.”
But now, here I am, soon going off to college; I think, wow, my life is finally going to begin.
But really, think about it. Doesn’t it seem like our futures are already predetermined? We’re born, we go to preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school then college. Then we’re expected to study hard, get a degree that’s worthwhile, be successful while working at some kind of high-paying job, start a family, etc., all because the people around us tell us that that is the only way. It’s fun and all but it’s so mundane — that’s the backbone of the majority of people’s lives. In our modern day society, we’re oddly so far removed from individuality but we cannot stop thinking and talking about it.
Our lives are like those “pick your own adventure” books, the ones that allow you to “pick your own path” yet the paths are predetermined. That’s exactly how society writes our stories; it allows us to believe we’re picking our own paths and it continues to maintain a facade of choice. But why should we, as individuals, have to give up our dreams and aspirations so early in our lives only to fulfill what society wants us to? We spend so much time in high school wanting to grow up already because that’s when our freedom comes and when our lives begin. But because we spend so much of our time in the future, we miss out in the present. We miss out on our dreams to become astronauts and artists so much that our creativity gets drowned out by the social norms enforced by modern society.
I’ve spent so much time trying to perfect my social image that I now realize that I’ve missed out on potential friendships and relationships, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and ultimately figuring out where exactly my individuality and creativity went. I’m going off to college within the next month and it’s daunting but exciting at the same time. Perhaps the dreams of the 3 and-7-year-old me can become part of my present, the present I owe to myself.
