If you are reading this chances are, at some point in your life, you have been told you are “too young” to do something, make a decision, or have an opinion. As someone who is reaching the end of their “teen years”, I have been told I am “too young” for almost every big decision I have made. While older adults are preaching to teens and young adults that they are the next generation of leaders, we are often shut down for many of the actions we try to take.
Personally, I have been told that I am too young to have an opinion on politics, racism, sexism, and religion. The older generation’s argument is normally “you have less life experience than I do, therefore you know less”, which is true to a certain extent. I certainly know more than I did when I was 15, but I had to make big decisions and have strong opinions in order to gain the knowledge I have now.
As young adults, our voices will always be silenced by the generations preceding us. Older adults, who were our age years ago, will often project their past or present fears on us. How are we expected to gain knowledge or wisdom if we are constantly stopped from making decisions for ourselves such as going to protests, taking a job, deciding our own classes, starting a relationship with that person, or moving to this new and different place. One day we will have the opportunity to look back on these choices and realize we either regretted it, but learned from our mistake, or we were happy to have done it and had the experience it brought
Even though I advocate for the independence of young adults, it is not a bad idea to take advice from older folks who have gone through similar experiences, and they impart their insight in order to save us from disaster. Yet, certain decisions will have to be made from our own free will, no matter how they may turn out. No one can tell you the exact way something will go, or whether your opinion is completely correct or not. The only way you will know is by figuring it out for yourself. Get that first hand experience to be able to share your story later. Opinions change and situations change, making these decisions now will not keep you stuck somewhere for the rest of your life. Unless you do something illegal. Please don’t do anything illegal.
To the young adults that need to make your own decisions, do not be afraid to take the risk. Allow yourself to make mistakes and don’t allow others to make decisions for you. Although many factors can be attributing to your fear of big decisions, just know that situations can change, and you can never be sure how something will turn out unless you try. Remember, always trust your gut. If you feel like a choice is right in the moment, and you’re not harming yourself or others, why not go for it?