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I would take cues from popular media and popular kids in school to curate a version of me that was not defined by what I liked, but by finding ways to get people to like me.
I wanted to make other people feel comfortable, and I felt okay only if someone else told me it was okay, if my outfit got okayed, or if I made sure they’re okay with me being there.
I just was confused by my multitudes; I think many of us were, since we weren’t opening up much about our inner worlds, thus assuming other people didn’t possess similar complexities and there must be something wrong with us.
Why would I ever let someone who drafts make-believe football teams make me believe I should be embarrassed by my interests?
“From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. From the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.”
We planned our lives without a lot of information, making key life decisions more grounded in traditions, but are now in a world that’s inundated with information and, therefore, surrounded by opportunities that didn’t exist when we were planning our dreams.
members of my generation want to seize the opportunity to pursue passion over a predictable profession, but are torn between the traditional values they held growing up versus the modern opportunities that greeted them once they did. To me, this is the nucleus of the millennial paradox.
Some days I find myself working toward things like a stable career, having kids, and owning a home, only to wonder if those are things I genuinely want, or if they are things I always thought I’d have, never knowing if their absence makes me conflate grief with desire.
Millennials aren’t rife with contradictions and allegedly falling behind because we’re these entitled, spoiled creatures. We were raised in preparation for a world that no longer exists and are forever trying to navigate the terms.
forever existing between looking out at the world and being painfully aware that we’re being looked at.
