The 21 Year Old Lie

When we are born, no one expects much of us at first. We slowly learn to laugh, recognize others, communicate & coordinate our movements. When we become seven years old, no one is surprised that we walk & talk & dress ourselves to a greater or lesser degree of success. When we become fourteen, no one is surprised that we present ourselves as young women or men with thoughts & emotions regarding other young men & women. These changes are expected, welcomed & encouraged. It is called growing up.

Then we turn twenty one & society tells us one of the big lies of life. You are now grown up. Find a job, find a partner, find a home in the suburbs or city, get some kids, get a minivan, because from here on nothing about you changes until you hit age sixty five. Then you just prepare to die. This is a big lie.

What makes society & people think that we don’t continue to change & grow every seven years the way we did when we are children? Often, the people that fall for this lie or try to buy into it find themselves around forty two or forty nine, wondering what went wrong. “This is not the life I wanted,” they say to themselves, “this is not my dream.”

Let me ask you, would you take advice from a twenty one year old on marriage & relationships or career or how & where to live? Probably not. Why? Not because they are stupid or dumb, but because they have little experience in these things. Ask a twenty one year old about the best in new music, the best clubs & restaurants, the latest in fashion trends, the cutting edge of anything, this is their experience & strength.

Yet, by locking yourself into a lifestyle at age twenty one you are doing exactly that, taking advice from a person with no experience on these matters. You are buying into the idea that you have stopped growing & that is not true. You change as much from 21 to 28, from 28 to 35 to 42 as from 0 to 7 or 7 to 14. You will have different interests & likes, different pursuits & hobbies, different friends & needs all your life.

The most boring people in the world are the ones that think there is no good music created after the year they graduated! The most interesting people in the world are the ones that still don’t know what they want to be when they are grown up when they are in their 60’s & 70’s.

What do you want to be when you grow up?


© 2007
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