It seems to me that much of the actions we choose and decisions we make are greatly influenced by societal and familial standards. Like many people my age, I am a college student that has traveled through the twelve grades to get to where I am now and feel like although my choices are inherently mine, I have less control over my life than I would like. I live day to day under the assumption that without a college education I will not be successful in life, and although I hate to say it, this assumption drives many of my actions. I feel that there are many other important things I could be doing with my life while fulfilling my passions, but have fallen into the path society and my family sees fit. As an economics major I am giving four years of my life and possibly much more of my career to a practical science that I do not mind particularly, but do not feel ultimately passionate about. Throughout my life it seemed impossible to even consider spending my time and career doing something that did not involve a practical college degree because my parents had already ingrained in me that college and making money were essentials to any life. The American need to secure a job and a financially stable lifestyle has somewhat taken over the path I am taking in life, and although being a constructive member of society is necessary to the continuation of progress, I live for the unconstructive events that excite my passion and create memories.
As a child my father was always looking for new opportunities to explore and challenge himself and as a result we moved around a lot. I have inherited this need to explore and the hatred of a monotonous, forced lifestyle. As I am still young and too afraid to break away from societies expectations, I find myself craving the excitement that things like surfing, skateboarding, and surfing bring to my life. These pleasures follow no boundaries and allow me to forget about the monotonous lifestyle that society has created for most functioning members of society. The ability to lose all cares and worries and just immerse myself in pleasure makes up for the times in which “real” life becomes boring and worrisome. I look hopefully forward at life feeling that if I can find something that excites my passions of exploring new things and going new places I can live up to society’s expectations while still fulfilling my passions.
Comments