People are always so impressed when young people accomplish
great things.
If you do something cool and you happen to be a kid, the
attention isn’t focused on whatever cool thing you've done, but on the fact
that you're a kid. You are a writer / musician /s martie at just 16!
On the surface, this isn't such a bad thing: we're
recognising awesome young people. But if you think about it more deeply, there
are a few problems with fetishizing young people’s achievements. By being
surprised at the awesomeness of one particular young person, in a way, we’re
assuming that most other young people are unimpressive. That one kid might be
an exception, but young people generally? Well, they're lazy and entitled,
right? I don't think this is the case.
Personally, I'm impressed by remarkable whoever. I
don't think there's excellent young people and excellent old people – there are
just people. So, in order to avoid further asking, here are some reasons why
I'm not impressed by remarkable youth.
1. Age should not our primary defining characteristic. Human
beings are incredibly complex, and we generally see ourselves that way -
different to everybody else… unique. But obviously we can't see everybody like
this (brain limitations, or something - that old 150 people theory), so we have
to start categorising: women, teenagers, Twilight fans. We expect things
of people at certain ages, as dictated by our society’s teachings, our
upbringing, and what we’ve come to expect from previous generations, and of
course this varies between towns, cities and countries. Trying to work out what
you want to do with your life in your early twenties is a pretty standard
‘thing’ in middle class Australia, but in other places, 21 might be an age
where people are already becoming parents. Although age is sometimes relevant,
often it really is not.
2. Don’t always compare yourself to people who are the
same age as you. Everyone has a different journey, and everyone has
different expectations for their life, depending on their family, culture, attitudes
and beliefs. There are so many different levels on which we mature as we age.
Being inspired by other young people accomplishing the things you might dream
of doing is awesome, but just because they've achieved something by a certain
age doesn't mean you're a failure if you haven’t, too. A successful young
person doesn't just 'make it' – there’s still plenty of stuff they're working
out, just like you. There is no leveling up in real life, fortunately or
unfortunately. You're on your own path, and your version of being 18, 27, or
103 is going to be different from everyone else's.
3. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you're not
capable of great things. I refuse to believe that young people who do
amazing things are the exception, and that the rest of us are lazy and useless.
I believe media coverage is too often focused on out-of-control youth, which
skews people's perceptions of what it’s like to be young. You don’t magically
transform from an obnoxious little kid into a capable adult: you are yourself
the whole time, and I think your capacity for excellence is proportionate to
how much faith you have in yourself, and often how much faith you have in
yourself is as a result of how much faith other people have had in you. Anyone
who believes in you, whether they’re your parents, teachers, friends or
mentors, is invaluable.
Originally published on Birdee Mag.
