JOSE: 21 during 21st century
For young people growing up in the U.S., 21 years old is often the age people look forward to the most as it can signify adulthood. From drinking alcohol to gambling to getting your pilot's license, the possibilities seem endless when you reach that age. But, as someone who recently joined the 21-and-over club, I could not help but wonder, is this really it?
I always thought that turning this age would make me feel liberated. This moment signifies the beginning of your twenties, the supposed prime of your life, with the rest of your years spanning ahead of you. But during my birthday, I noticed that this sense of optimism was lacking, and instead, I felt a sense of unease after blowing my candles out.
I could not stop thinking about how my next milestones seemed so out of reach if they even existed for me at all. And apparently, I was not the only one who thought this.
After speaking to my roommates, who had also all had birthdays within the last four months, I came to the conclusion that the main reason for stress among 21-year-olds was a sense of anxiety about the future.
Anxiety seems to be common among many young people today. Frequently in the media, we hear about how Generation Z is the most "depressed" or "fragile" generation. While these statements do seem dramatic, there is some basis for them. To a lot of people, Generation Z just seems to be unhappy.
But why is this the case? For a generation that is just now discovering adulthood, what do we have to be anxious or unhappy about? To answer this existential question, a lot of internal and external reflection is needed. So, in order to chip away at this mystery, it is best to start by examining what the real expectations are around turning 21 years old.
For many people, much of the appeal of turning 21 years old is related to drinking and partying. And while it is exciting to do all that without feeling like you are sneaking around, those feelings usually only last for one night. After your 21st birthday, the novelty of drinking is suddenly lost. So, the same question gets asked again: Is this all a person has to look forward to when they turn 21?
When you turn 21, society seems to purposefully give you the freedom to drink and party because it seems to believe that you are at the age where you have your life figured out. As a result, 21 is a time for self-reliance. But even though we can handle a good party, many of us do not think we are ready to handle life just yet.
Society has since shifted from the days when people were getting married, buying houses and having kids all by their mid-twenties. People are now doing all those things at much later ages. But what exactly does this say about how society has changed?
Even though it is not always explicit, the pressure to be on "the right track" or to have some kind of set path is still prevalent. I know it because I feel it in my own life, and I see it in the lives of my friends. It seems like most people are anxious about the steps they think they need to take to become the person they want to be in the future.
It seems like in order to feel secure, we need to have every single detail of our lives planned out, and that is not realistic. This is why young people today seem to be taking longer to achieve socially acceptable milestones. They just need more time to figure out how they see themselves in an ever-changing world.
This sense of anxiety is likely relatable to anyone who has come of age. But for many 21-year-olds right now, we seem to be hyperaware of life's uncertainty, making it difficult to focus on the present.
So, while considering all these factors, we should ask ourselves again: what is it that 21 has to offer? Right now, the only thing that seems to be good about turning this age is actually the age itself.
Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again," and I think that is the only perspective that has made me feel better about being the age that I am.
Being young is the best. There is less permanence in youth, meaning you have room to make mistakes because there is still so much time to fix them. Nothing is certain, and that is okay. Embracing the unknown is a part of life. It allows us to sit with what makes us most uncomfortable and acknowledge that it is all a part of growing up.
There is a sense of beauty in uncertainty, even though it may cause an endless amount of anxiety. Uncertainty can also mean that there is room for possibility.
Amelia Jose is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Science and minoring in International and Global Studies and Art History. Jose's column "Sip and Chat" runs on alternate Thursdays, and is best enjoyed with something to drink as you read.
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