Hey guys, how's it going? Everybody looking forward to the crazy snow storm? I certainly am, since I move back into college tomorrow. But that's the future; let's talk about the now. Today is my sister's birthday (yes, this is the second time a blog post has coincided with my sister's birthday), and I'd like to talk about adulthood. In the United States, you are legally considered an adult upon reaching the age of 18, but you're not really and adult at that point. You can't purchase alcohol (one of the oldest traditions mankind celebrates is inebriation), you're not really treated like an adult by society, and often 18 year-olds aren't typically given much responsibility. No, 18 is the threshold of adulthood, but more the porch steps. The real door into the responsibilities of the real world awaits at 22 years of age.
I'm sure many of you would disagree with this, but allow me to explain my thought process. While being a grown-up is something you really have to determine for yourself, there is also a societal aspect. On (or around) the 22nd birthday, there is a drastic shift in what the world thinks and expects of you. Think about sitcoms: Friends, a popular 90s television show set in NYC beings with the average character age at 22. At this point, you're out of college or getting into serious work, your 20s have begun in full swing, and something seems to be expected of you.
The year of partying we assume all 21 year-olds engage in has ended at 22, life becomes more serious, the friends you have presently will most likely be the friends you'll have for a many years. It's true that most people don't have their careers planned out, their romantic lives tied down, or their financial situations worked out at all, but there is some expectation that you know what you want. In many ways, this is glorifying, how we push people to strive towards success early, but it's simultaneously terrifying. The very concept of having every single aspect of your life plotted out could render even the most stalwart nerve catatonic.
This faux checkpoint on life is just a little thing for you to think about while you're snowed in this weekend. And, while you're working on that, I'll be hard at working doing the science for next weeks post (that's right, we're doing science soon!) Any-Hootie and the Blowfish, That's all I've got to say on the matter. I'll see y'all next time.
I'm sure many of you would disagree with this, but allow me to explain my thought process. While being a grown-up is something you really have to determine for yourself, there is also a societal aspect. On (or around) the 22nd birthday, there is a drastic shift in what the world thinks and expects of you. Think about sitcoms: Friends, a popular 90s television show set in NYC beings with the average character age at 22. At this point, you're out of college or getting into serious work, your 20s have begun in full swing, and something seems to be expected of you.
The year of partying we assume all 21 year-olds engage in has ended at 22, life becomes more serious, the friends you have presently will most likely be the friends you'll have for a many years. It's true that most people don't have their careers planned out, their romantic lives tied down, or their financial situations worked out at all, but there is some expectation that you know what you want. In many ways, this is glorifying, how we push people to strive towards success early, but it's simultaneously terrifying. The very concept of having every single aspect of your life plotted out could render even the most stalwart nerve catatonic.
This faux checkpoint on life is just a little thing for you to think about while you're snowed in this weekend. And, while you're working on that, I'll be hard at working doing the science for next weeks post (that's right, we're doing science soon!) Any-Hootie and the Blowfish, That's all I've got to say on the matter. I'll see y'all next time.
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