MALIK: Exaggerated novelty of youth
When a movie, song or even a new app is described as good, you expect to hear resounding praise. Criticism will always be there, but if something is truly worthy of praise, can there really be an overwhelming amount of criticism?
I guess that would lead to an argument about how we define something as good, worthy of praise or even worthy of not being criticized. It would also lead to the definite argument that if something is being praised, can it be defined as being good or is our judgment truly messed up, especially after the pandemic? Is general praise no longer enough?
I started to have all these questions after picking up Sally Rooney's new novel "Intermezzo." Rooney, an Irish author, is known for her novels "Normal People," "Conversations with Friends" and "Beautiful World, Where Are You."
She became famous off of her first novel at 25 years old and has had continuous success after that. She has been hailed as "Salinger for the Snapchat generation," though she was unaware of Snapchat when writing her first novel. For anyone who does not know, she is the Olivia Rodrigo of the literary world.
When she came onto the literary scene, people reacted as if the chosen one was found. Finally, the youth had a voice. But with youth, there is always the criticism that they know too little and say too much, and pretty soon, she was dealing with the consequences of being young and talented.
Everyone always talks about the novelty of youth and the idea that young people can change the world. With Rooney settling into her career, she is setting a new path with this novel. She has been the literary representative of the modern young woman for so long that it is a shock her new novel centers around two young brothers.
The interesting thing about Rooney, Rodrigo and even the tech geniuses that are constantly revered for how young they were when they became known for changing whatever scene they were in is that they eventually settle down. Their newness fades, and with that, they are put up against the final question — can they continue to stand as time passes?
The criticisms of inexperience slowly become the idea that they lost whatever made them special. I think the rise and steadiness of Rooney's career has made one thing clear to me: There is no time limit for success.
As college students, we constantly hear about other people's early career successes. It can feel like you are stagnating or even failing when others excel.
As someone in STEM, there always seems to be a younger person who has made a research discovery or created a new app. Everything right now feels new. For me, at least, it is funny seeing people who were called "remarkable" settling into their careers rather than chasing something else.
As we all build ourselves toward our careers, I think it is important to acknowledge how much we do not know and why we are getting our degrees. As so many of my friends wrestle their way into getting the internships of their dreams and compare themselves to others earning insane amounts of money, I think it is important to be mindful that wherever we are trying to go, there is no time limit.
In the end, we are all going to settle into our place in the world. Whether it is two years from now or 20, we should accept the journey rather than stress ourselves with the little details.
You may be upset, but not getting the desired internship may open the door for another opportunity you will be thankful for in 20 years. Or maybe it does not, and either way, it is fine. So take the time to slow down and enjoy your life. How you live your life now is how you will live your life in 20 years, so settle in.
Sehar Malik is a junior in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and minoring in French. Malik’s column, “People Talking,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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