Typical

“You are born and then you die, but in between you can do anything you want. It’s society that creates rules for us, but you can break out of that.” - Unknown

           

            We live in a country that seems to provide stepping stones for us. Step by step they lead us to a designated path we’re practically required to follow. And carefully, we step from stone to stone barely questioning our intentions – or the world’s. And eventually, more than likely if you abide by the rules, you’ll make it to that path – and then finally ask what the hell you’re doing there. I’m not talking about some grand divine path; this is not a religious subject. I’m talking about going to school until your eighteen so that you can go to another school for another four to eight years after so that you can land some prestigious job that you’re destined to love. Then you’ll get married to someone likely for their money or because you’re getting old and it’s about time you marry off. Then of course you have kids and you shove them into repeating the same cycle as you. And not a lot of people ever like it, but it’s a norm, and few seem to take initiative to break out of it.

We’re introduced to this at such a young age. Grade nines have to fill out pages on what job they want in their future and where they want to go to University. By the time you’re in grade twelve your first semester U class is teachers constantly reminding you that since this is a U class “I’m assuming you are all going to University”, though that’s not always the case. We are thrown into this design that we are expected to take part in, even if we don’t want to. There was a quote in One Tree Hill that said, “One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday. And then quietly, without you ever really noticing someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.” I feel like that’s how we get sucked into following these stepping stones. We spend so much time imagining our lives but we don’t do anything about it, and so inevitably we proceed to go with the flow or the norm. Ultimately, don’t follow what society has planned if it doesn’t interest you, it’s not the only plan out there.