I am sure you went through this during the college admissions process: guidance counselors, teachers, and parents are constantly suggesting different activities to participate in, what groups to join, what books to read, and what classes to take, all because it looks good on an application. Whatever, right? But as I've come to understand, the new mentality of our society is that it doesn't stop there. Young adults today are always trying to one-up each other, though they do not claim to do so. For instance, how many times have you heard something similar to the following conversation?
"I just got back from my trip in Costa Rica. Such a good place to harvest organic fruits for my free-trade online shampoo selling business."
"Well, I recently finished War And Peace within a few short hours and went on to read the complete works of Faulkner. In two days I'll attend a junior world ambassador's conference and help build 5 schools for autistic children."
"That's wonderful, but let me tell you about the time I climbed Mount Everest after conducting research for Mad Cow Disease and writing three novels on the endangered purple wildebeest..."
What the hell? Where did this all come from? Why must we feel that we need to constantly be going, going, going all the time?
I know we certainly do not want this inside. People are constantly lamenting how they have no time on their hands, yet they are involved in an endless amount of activities. Keep in mind, most of these people aren't even in their late thirties.
Is it competition that is driving this? Well, then I am wondering what the prize is, because this race just doesn't seem to end. There are thousands of Internet sites urging you to read all the best books, see all the good movies, go to all the best places, and on and on. Apparently, if you can't do all of these things, you are living an unfulfilling life and will never be enlightened or have a spiritual epiphany.
I have one thing to say: fuck that.
Why should we run ourselves ragged doing all of these things that people claim to be "enriching" or "eye-opening"? I tried to get through the "101 Books They Expect You To Have Read By The Time You Get Into College" list, and I can safely say that a good portion of those books sucked, despite how they have been widely acclaimed for some time (which still baffles me). Stop feeling guilty that you haven't yet published a 400-page novel or biked to Canada. Life should not be a giant to-do list; it is meant to be savored, and enjoyed at a comfortable pace. Don't get me wrong; if your idea is living is to constantly be running around, fine. Some of us just want to be a little more mellow.
Here's my advice: step away from those damn lists that tell you everything you need to do before you are 30. Create your own definition of harmony and live it the way you choose.
And you might consider turning on, tuning in, and dropping out if you so desire.
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