Are we growing up too fast...
...or too slow? time magazine in january had a cover article about how our generation (late 20s- I turn 30 tomorow, but I guess that still means me) aren't "growing up". we are "delaying adulthood". i tend to agree. i don't think I'm "grown up", even though I'm 30. no, I don't spend all day playing video games, or watching cartoons. i'm just not "growing up" because, well, i guess i don't know what that means, or, at least, i do know what it means, and don't think that's a very good way to live ones life.
i find myself more mature, in the ways that are most important to me, than most of the 40, 50, and 60 year old people i know. in fact, i find some people in those generations ignorant about a lot of things. i find some downright juvenile. i find that there are some in their generation that are very mature. some are very smart. some very dumb. some turn away from responsibility, some take on more than their share. in short, their generation is just like mine. the only difference? this idea of commitment.
commitment is a concept close to that of integrity. its something that means honor and duty. unfortunately, it's obsolete. the world is changing more rapidly than at any other time in history. entire paradigms of thought rise and fall every few month as apposed to every few years. if you don't know this, you aren't paying attention. we are. we can't "choose" what to "be" when we are talking about a career because that choice is likely to be outdated by them time we get anywhere. we can only choose what to "be" when it comes to who we are as a person, and what skillset we choose to have, who we choose to associate with, what kind of personality we display, and more prominantly in the age of massive information: what media we choose to consume.
the issue is dedication. what am i truely dedicated to? i don't know and neither do a lot of people. i was dedicated to the idea of being a rich, conservative real estate investor when i was 12. i was dedicated to the concept of socialism when i was 24. thing change. however, there are things that i enjoy: philosophy, programming, music, good conversation. are all these things "taking me" anywhere? will i be able to "make a living" having conversations about the philosophy of programming? maybe, maybe not, but this is who i am, and has nothing to do with who i am "going to be". what if i didn't care about "my future"? what if i cared about my life?
now, i'm not talking about having a house, mortage, building equity, saving for your 401k, having kids, or even marriage. i'm talking about the idea of a "career".
when you "choose" a career, you are locking yourself into something. in this economy, people my age can't afford to be locked into anything. we need to be mobile. we need an evolving skillset. we need to continually diversify while making money. we need gainful unemployment. why? because there is nothing more deadening to the spirit of mankind than to be stuck in a 40 hour a week, mind-numbing, ulcer-producing, time-sucking pain in the ass we call "work". we would be better off without it.
take a look at all the wonderful things that have been dreamed up in our history book. who invented them? men working tirelessly at their jobs, or, rather, people who didn't have that problem: royalty, the rich, the idle. idleness is good. fuck what they say about the devil's playground. idle hands are god's workshop.
if adulthood isn't about enjoying life, then i would say that, we are, in fact, growing up too fast. in fact, i hope one day that none of us will "grow up" at all. of course, the population would be too difficult to control if they weren't forced to slave away at a meaningless job every day. we couldn't have that, now, could we?
i find myself more mature, in the ways that are most important to me, than most of the 40, 50, and 60 year old people i know. in fact, i find some people in those generations ignorant about a lot of things. i find some downright juvenile. i find that there are some in their generation that are very mature. some are very smart. some very dumb. some turn away from responsibility, some take on more than their share. in short, their generation is just like mine. the only difference? this idea of commitment.
commitment is a concept close to that of integrity. its something that means honor and duty. unfortunately, it's obsolete. the world is changing more rapidly than at any other time in history. entire paradigms of thought rise and fall every few month as apposed to every few years. if you don't know this, you aren't paying attention. we are. we can't "choose" what to "be" when we are talking about a career because that choice is likely to be outdated by them time we get anywhere. we can only choose what to "be" when it comes to who we are as a person, and what skillset we choose to have, who we choose to associate with, what kind of personality we display, and more prominantly in the age of massive information: what media we choose to consume.
the issue is dedication. what am i truely dedicated to? i don't know and neither do a lot of people. i was dedicated to the idea of being a rich, conservative real estate investor when i was 12. i was dedicated to the concept of socialism when i was 24. thing change. however, there are things that i enjoy: philosophy, programming, music, good conversation. are all these things "taking me" anywhere? will i be able to "make a living" having conversations about the philosophy of programming? maybe, maybe not, but this is who i am, and has nothing to do with who i am "going to be". what if i didn't care about "my future"? what if i cared about my life?
now, i'm not talking about having a house, mortage, building equity, saving for your 401k, having kids, or even marriage. i'm talking about the idea of a "career".
when you "choose" a career, you are locking yourself into something. in this economy, people my age can't afford to be locked into anything. we need to be mobile. we need an evolving skillset. we need to continually diversify while making money. we need gainful unemployment. why? because there is nothing more deadening to the spirit of mankind than to be stuck in a 40 hour a week, mind-numbing, ulcer-producing, time-sucking pain in the ass we call "work". we would be better off without it.
take a look at all the wonderful things that have been dreamed up in our history book. who invented them? men working tirelessly at their jobs, or, rather, people who didn't have that problem: royalty, the rich, the idle. idleness is good. fuck what they say about the devil's playground. idle hands are god's workshop.
if adulthood isn't about enjoying life, then i would say that, we are, in fact, growing up too fast. in fact, i hope one day that none of us will "grow up" at all. of course, the population would be too difficult to control if they weren't forced to slave away at a meaningless job every day. we couldn't have that, now, could we?
posted by That guy with the top hat at 12:37 PM
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