Options, schmoptions
Is it just me or is almost everyone facing some sorta major change? Is this a sign of the times or just a function of age? God, we're in our late 20s and still mostly clueless. What's going on?
My folks were married and had three kids when they were 29. They also had a flat. I'm not saying that's necessarily what I want, and maybe they didn't have a choice - I don't know. I just think...now that it's perfectly ok to be single and independent - and even admirable to be so in certain circles - and we have a bewildering number of options, an almost countless number of versions of ourselves we could be, we're not very good at making use of those choices.
Choices are wasted on people like us.
We are afraid of making mistakes, and so we become trapped instead in a little world inside our heads.
Strange.
Maybe it's coz most of us have never had much practice at thinking and choosing for ourselves or doing what we actually want to do. We're told to go to this kindergarten, this primary school, take lessons in piano/violin/some musical instrument/karate/swimming/some other sport, go to this secondary school, go to this JC coz it's good, read a certain major in university coz it'll lead to a good job whatever that means, marry a certain type of person coz you'll be well off, live in a certain type of house...you get the picture. Our lives had been decided for us even before we're born. That's a bit tragic, doncha think? No wonder we can't make decisions. We never really had to. And most of us end up thinking we don't have a choice.
Stuff it.
My folks were married and had three kids when they were 29. They also had a flat. I'm not saying that's necessarily what I want, and maybe they didn't have a choice - I don't know. I just think...now that it's perfectly ok to be single and independent - and even admirable to be so in certain circles - and we have a bewildering number of options, an almost countless number of versions of ourselves we could be, we're not very good at making use of those choices.
Choices are wasted on people like us.
We are afraid of making mistakes, and so we become trapped instead in a little world inside our heads.
Strange.
Maybe it's coz most of us have never had much practice at thinking and choosing for ourselves or doing what we actually want to do. We're told to go to this kindergarten, this primary school, take lessons in piano/violin/some musical instrument/karate/swimming/some other sport, go to this secondary school, go to this JC coz it's good, read a certain major in university coz it'll lead to a good job whatever that means, marry a certain type of person coz you'll be well off, live in a certain type of house...you get the picture. Our lives had been decided for us even before we're born. That's a bit tragic, doncha think? No wonder we can't make decisions. We never really had to. And most of us end up thinking we don't have a choice.
Stuff it.
posted by Jean.Chua at 11:07 AM
5 Comments:
Stumbled onto your blog... thought this was well said.
Oh well, better a quarter life crisis, when you have more time to make decisions and changes, than a midlife one.
i think that we are blessed to have so many choice, in a way. It can be stressful of course, but on the other hand, the world is open to us in a way that it was never for our parents. Just think of the places we can go with the education etc that we have. It's a good thing, really.
I don't think it's a bad thing. I'm just saying that it can be bewildering and confusing. And most of us are trying to find our place in the world amidst this.
Can't provide answers, cos I am also still grasping my own way through this.
Well, Sylvia, if it's any consolation, I think most of us are. :) we just make the best choice based on what we know, what we need, and what we think is the best for us at any given time. And just have faith and pray for the best. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home