It’s fun to be young and pessimistic, defying authority and praying for the collapse of the social order. Latching on to a pseudo-anarchic philosophy, you take as your hero some fictional badass like Tyler Durden and do your best to garner whatever scraps of attention that society tosses your way. The awkward pain of growing up is dampened by the highs you glean off your petty shenanigans and your newfound interest in literature and the arts. You delight in chaos. Your sanity is maintained through a tightly-regulated system of careful self-deception and the calming effects of sweet, sweet shadenfreude. F**k the world, but let me watch.
The problem is, that with each successive blow you deal out to the evil and corrupt system, you remove a small chunk of your preconceived notion of reality. Other messy complications arise at the fault lines where your super-awesome-new philosophy and unquestioned childhood truths fail to coincide. To compound this mental discomfort, putting your new thoughts into action sometimes elicits unforeseen social reactions that can’t always be explained by the unenlightened ignorance of the other party. Then there’s the dreaded dip into the murk of morality and faith, concepts that require regular practice as well as simple belief.
Oh s**t, you’re starting to think for yourself.
This is heavy.
Your reliance on chaos and nihilism do little to calm that hideous feeling you get when you contemplate that crusty motherf**ker of a dilemma of a nightmare of a cosmic conundrum that is good old Death. Issues of little concern to the teenager have a nasty habit of compounding as the individual passes through higher education, personal tragedy, and other complicating factors that those other sheep don’t have to worry about; but you, as a liberated soul, are suddenly confused and very much alone, lost in your precious freedom.
Is this hideous fear of the unknown the dark force that herds folks into churches, powers the world’s societies, or pushes some folks into outlandish extremes simply to justify their existence? Sure, all those wise philosophers whose books you briefly glanced at in the school library have their own explanations, but maybe those don’t work for you, the individualist individual with the freedom to be individual in your individuality. And what about all those other little questions that arose when your beliefs failed miserably?
Luckily, as a homo sapien, you possess a powerful mental tool for the job. You can change your mind. That ability to adapt to change is an overarching paradigm thats roots leech into every substance of your being, including the arrangement of neurotransmitters and their corresponding receptors that actually allow you to substitute one idea for another. And that’s what makes you an adult. You now possess not only the tools, but also the experience, to learn from your mistakes and shine a light into that darkness. It’s a gift that separates you from the the real morons and monsters of the world who fail to utilize it properly. The ability to change will make or break your life.
And, if you’re smart, you won’t forget it.
