As it turns out, according to this study the reason why many teens take part in risky behaviors is not because they think they are invincible. According to this study's findings the reason why many teens take life threatening risks is because they are convinced that they will die young anyway.
This bit of news seems to goes heavily against common knowledge in many ways, but also seems to make more sense then the old idea.
Personally when I heard this my thoughts went to something that my younger brother had said to this affect a few weeks back as we sat on the porch at 12 am trying to hash out what we are going to do in this next year. He said that he doesn't expect to live to see a ripe old age. Funny, I can't either. Maybe its just the chronic nightmare. I dunno...
My brother was the one who usually ignored whatever it was that "good boys" his age were supposed to be doing until I announced that I was "taking some time off from college." Now he is doing what he is "supposed to" and applying for junior college. An ironic choice of paths for someone with ADHD and authority issues. I'm sure he can pull it off, but at what cost to his character? He was considering the military before, but with me "misbehaving" I guess he decided to go for the path mom and dad have been pushing for.
I guess the study is a reflection of what happens to people at this age between 17 and 22. We feel pressured to conform, and we either submit ourselves to the accepted path or say to hell with it and do our own thing.
I'm glad I opted out of what I'm supposed to be doing though. While taking the path of least residence I got to feeling like Bilbo Baggins when his journeying days were coming to an end:
"I'm old, Gandalf. I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel... thin. Sort of stretched, like... butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return. In fact I mean not to."
On the other hand, now that I am attempting, though with no great success thus far, to do my own thing Thoreau comes to mind more often.
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
Maybe I'll succeed, maybe I'll fail, but at least no one will be able to say that I haven't tried.
2 comments:
I think you'll succeed. ^_^
I know a lot of people who feel that way. One of my best friends even said she doesn't WANT to live to be old. I think the idea is that when you get to a certain age your life is over, and it's all about feeling your body give out and losing all the people you know and love slowly.
Me, personally, I can't see myself ever being old. I just don't see how it could possibly happen. It's not that I don't think I'll live to be 90, it's just that I figure when I get to 90 I won't be much different than I am now.
Post a Comment