If you’re a sophomore, like me, you’ve probably already been asking yourself, “Why am I in college? Why am I doing this? Why can’t I just backpack across America barefoot and be completely void of technology and responsibilities?” and that is totally okay and 100% normal. College is difficult, it’s stressful, it’s a time that none of us are really alone in because we’re all still learning to grow and adapt to the obligations of adulthood and fulfilling our long term goals. For some, this little mid-college crisis can be overcome with a little time and effort, but unfortunately for others, the stress might become so much it cuts a person down completely from continuing forward.
Why do undergrad students decide that college isn’t for them so early in the program, or even why do those who don’t attend college decide to not chase other goals and ambitions? Unfortunately, a lot of it has to do with the way our opinions, values, and goals for the future not only for ourselves, but for our country, are argued against by our elders who we are taught to respect and take wisdom from. Now, please understand I am not saying that you should start disrespecting your elders and being rude, but instead it is time to take into account that it is now our generation’s future and no longer our elder’s. I think where we go wrong is a lot of young adults feel invalidated by elders and peers and just kind of give up instead of taking a hold of their future the way they want to.
I think one example of this we can all resonate with is the common line said by many parents and grandparents alike that goes something like “Well, when I was your age…”
Here’s the thing about that; society progresses with every passing minute that it’s hard to even say “Well, last year it was like this!” I did things differently yesterday than I do today for crying out loud! We can’t let this become an obstacle from what we pursue. Believe it or not, we have so much power to change the hearts and minds of people with a simple post on social media because we not only recieve education from institutions, we have become so much more diverse and culturally aware that we learn from each other expicitly or not. So many things like nudity in art, LGBTQA+ identities, the fight to eradicate racism, etc. is becoming more and more common in our youth’s generation that we have become unstoppable in achieving anything. These progressive values are important to many of us, so why are we so scared of moving forward?
I think another reason why so many students stop working towards goals that fulfil their own interests is because elder’s put the stigma on certain careers (particularly ones relating to art) that they won’t lead to financial and career success. The word success can mean a lot of different things, and while for many it means to become well off in a career and in life, for others it might be to achieve a feeling of self-worth as a result of following their passions. That being said, if your passion is to do art and money is no important object to you, then so be it! You shouldn’t let anyone tell you that your goals are not fundamental or “serious” enough; if it is your passion and how you want to spend the rest of your life, then that happiness is all that should matter.
Our generation has a lot of power and determination to create a society where we are living in peace with each other, minorities are recieving their equal human rights, and to erase the stigma that success is completely based around a stable business career with money. It is important that we remember to not give up on our passions, to use our voices no matter what we believe, to vote, to find ourselves and create things that make us happy so we learn our strengths and weaknesses. We have a future we can’t give up on and a generation below us to pass our values onto and inspire. Therefore, I challenge you to be ambitious and to learn about yourself and others to create the future you desire.