Teenagers have egos. Then again, so do adults. It's just that adults have two qualifications that set them apart from us oh-so-confident teenagers that gives them reason to act like they know more than we do. 1, because they do, and 2, because they are our superiors and should be respected.
It seems our egos are becoming subtly more inflated as time progresses forward, but why? Think of the 'old school' times when students stood to address teachers, never talked in class for fear of direct punishment, and wouldn't dare of crossing a teacher on their words. Times when kids didn't speak unless spoken to, and asked to be excused from the dinner table. I'm not saying we should revert to those rigid societal norms. I couldn't take it. But it looks as if the 'norms' have burst the former boundaries as they expand into the next galaxy. It is common to see kids interrupt teachers, badmouth their parents, or to rebel against everything that faintly smells like a rule or guideline. It all comes down to what we are responsible for. Our added responsibilities combined with greater freedoms cause teens to act above their station causing disrespect for others and pride amongst themselves.
We have been given a lot of responsibility, far more than our parents or their parents probably ever had when they were our age. Not responsibility by way of chores, (it's certainly a responsibility to milk the cows, but that's not where I'm headed), but the charge to take care of ourselves much more than previous generations had. It is generally agreed that today it is far easier to get involved in destructive trends of society than it was 20 or 30 years ago. And while that long ago people still had cars, went on dates, and spent time away from home without adult supervision, it wasn't difficult to stay out of trouble. Today, even with all the extra laws, restrictions, and curfews piled high, we're still responsible for our actions. There's no way our parents can keep us inside if we don't want to be or force us to go to school if we don't want to. An attempted murder occured a few weeks ago just 5 houses away from me, but my parents can't keep me inside just for that. I've got a life to live and places to be. They've got to trust me that I'll be responsible and not get involved in any risky situations. Cell phones are another arena. One of those gadgets enables the user to send information around the world in a heartbeat, no matter where they are. That kind of power takes responsibility.
All this responsibility adding up seems to give teens (myself included throughout this analysis) an 'I can do anything, no one can stop me' attitude. It causes arguments, creates distractions (especially in school), and causes many other problems. Because we have all these responsibilities and capabilities we think we are entitled to the same power and respect that adults have earned. Lots of us work just like them, we drive like them, we're busy like them, we think we know a lot (like them), we prioritize like them, and we are expected to act like them. So why not just start 'being' them all the time? Because we're not adults quite yet. Still on the road. So for now, we should just sit back, and let our teachers teach us, listen to our parents, and not try to shove our noses higher in the air no matter how important we think we are. Tough stuff... I know. I know I sometimes feel important when I'm running a schedule that my mom has tried and failed to keep track of, but that doesn't mean she couldn't do it. So overall, more R-E-S-P-E-C-T and less PRIDE would do us good. We might actually learn something!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
The hardest is when the adult obviously doesn't know half as much as you do on a subject, but still tries to teach you about it. Or when the adult gets all snobby about how they MUST be right because you are a mere teenager, although all rules of the road point to you as the clear victor
Yep my dad does that all the time.
However, what have adults been through? It's almost as if we treat them sometimes like weird teenagers. Just mature teenagers. As if they've no experiences of life under their belt, and don't take care of a whole family, work, and sometimes still go to college or teach a whole classroom full of teenagers! Doesn't it seem like wisdom, while gentle, caring and smart, never ceases to learn? It is of my opinion that while teenagers are growing smarter (and while the're exceeding the extreme in the other direction as well), true wisdom will find lessons in every single little event, in every minute, hour, and day, BUT only if we let it. This leads back to Bryan's conclusion; while of course we are right some of the time (that's a given in everyone's life, no matter how old you are), IS THAT REALLY THE POINT?? I also believe that we are not here to get things done; our existences are not simply just to exist and accomplish; the goal is not what makes us strong, faithful and wise, but it is the journey. How amazing would it be to treat every event, as little as a fleeting thought or brief conversation, as a means to a much larger goal, more than just being right? That'd be interesting: after every possibly negative event I'm going to be better than I was. A stepping stone, instead of a stumbling block.
**Disclaimer -I really like healthy debate, so nothing said here is meant to be argumentative or rude, only part of a discussion**
I could argue by saying no adult has gone through the absolute moral turpitude of the world that we have and will. I could counter, saying that my parents have never experienced the confusing personal ordeals I have faced (they do admit this). I could say that we are a chosen generation. But those arguments are fatally flawed fallacies. I do realize that I'm wrong most of the time. Most adults I come into contact with give me no reason to doubt them, or any reason to call them haughty. I respect(or at least obey in an effort to gain respect) adults' judgments, even sometimes when it gets me into trouble to trust them (because they really are wrong). I suppose the point I've been endeavoring to make is that I wish that the more haughty adults took time to consider whether they were correct, rather than looking at me and my age (and prolly my height, ha) and automatically assuming I know nothing about the subject, and then treating me as if I am simply something to teach, or even to endure. My duty is to learn, and to obey as far as it is reasonable. But their duty may not always be to teach; and I think that some people need to realize that. I only hope that I take the same care in all my assertions.(whoa, try to identify all of my alliteration...usually I didn't mean to. ha)
Post a Comment