Toward the end of my merriment on Halloween weekend, a surprising sight greeted me — multiple girls from my high school on Front Street, outside the many frat houses that adorn Downtown Binghamton. This got me thinking about a lot of things, but mostly I asked myself, “Why?”
Why did those girls so badly want to get into one of the many parties we have at our disposal every weekend? Having gone to their high school, I know for a fact that there is a plethora of parties available for them there.
But then I thought back to when I visited my older sister at SUNY Cortland while in high school and how exciting it was to go to a real college party — how old and mature it made me feel. Comparing this to my experiences thus far in college, it’s amazing how differently I viewed the weekend party scene. Now, there’s no forbidden thrill, and the excitement of feeling older just isn’t there.
This simple observation highlighted the most basic difference between the two situations: my age. Going to a college party in high school is so cool because of its forbidden nature. Going to a college party while in college isn’t nearly as exhilarating, it’s just something to do on the weekend.
I think all of this contributes to the inherent tendency of youth — rushing to grow up.
When you’re in middle school, you look up to the high school kids around you with an awe that can’t be described. You strive to emulate such acts as driving, playing on the JV and varsity teams or, for my school, going off campus for lunch.
When you’re in high school, you see your older friends when they come back from college, and they just seem so much more mature and worldly. You want nothing more than to have that college life. It seems like a Promised Land with freedom from parents, meaningless drama and any real world responsibilities. Nevertheless, what comes along with that freedom and independence is also a growing list of obligations and pressure to pick our chosen fields, find a job and finally make an impact on the world in the best way we can.
It’s no surprise that you rarely hear college kids talking about how excited they are to leave college and get out there in the real world. I think once you hit the final years of college, you realize that this is the last hurrah. I’m only a freshman, but declaring a major has already become a seriously daunting task. I can only imagine how I’ll feel in three short years when I’m ready to graduate, with the reality of finding a job looming on the horizon.
We are so quick to rush our adolescent years because, let’s be honest: No one looked their best in sixth grade or felt their most confident as a high school freshman.
But that’s the problem right there. We get so caught up in the smallest problems and drama of our age that we forget to take a look around and enjoy life. The trivial conflicts of finding a best friend in elementary school or the stress of breaking out in junior high seem so much worse at the time.
Instead of looking past the drama of our adolescence and truly enjoying the carefree nature of being a kid, we look to the future as a promising time of less stress and more enjoyment. This in itself is a paradox. What we fail to realize in our younger years is that the older you get, the more stress and responsibilities come with it.
Why would we rush growing up when being a kid is much easier and more fun? I think in our desire to be older, hold more responsibility and be independent people, we forget that we need to enjoy these lighthearted times before the problems in our lives become very real and affect not only ourselves, but also our partners or kids.
So I say here’s to never growing up. Let’s truly embrace being young and carefree, while we still can.