Will+H’s+OpEd+Article


 * [[image:Dora.jpg width="169" height="226"]]BLUEBERRY HILL **

You can say that each individual chooses his or her own path in life. You can say that, as teenagers, we are in the throes of a chemical and emotional revolution raging on deep in our neurons and our souls. You can say that it would be a shame not to capitalize on these peaking passions that will eventually solidify into one big mess of maturity (hopefully) and lead us forward in most every endeavor we undertake. You can say that it’s a mistake not to “live in the moment” and revel in what makes us teenagers. The things that are going on right now for us… the friends, the humor, the sex, the movies, the ability to drive places… I don’t want to miss any of that! But is it going to be worth a damn if we are all living in cardboard boxes by the time we’re thirty-five? No. I realize the far-fetched nature of that statement, but the extreme always makes an impression.

The problem is that, while we are all able to choose our own paths in life, we are not always in control of choosing what distractions and irritations lie along that path. The truth is… we are teenagers. We are not in charge of the world, yet. We do not make the rules, we do not run the admissions offices, we do not understand what it takes to be an actual contribution to society, and we certainly do not understand all the things we are most passionate about. That’s the role of a teenager, is to be way out of their league in order to understand the knowledge you need to have, but don’t, in order to be in that league. Our life and our understanding of the world is like a jigsaw puzzle, which I hate, and there are so many pieces missing. There’s a reason we look up to those older than us, because they’ve been around long enough to collect some puzzle pieces we do not have yet. I look up to seniors because they know what it’s like to be a senior. We don’t. We don’t know what it’s like to be a teacher, an administrator, the president, a police officer, a U.S. Marine, a pornographic film star, a regular film star… So how in the world are we supposed to “choose our paths” if we don’t know the first thing about WHAT should be on it? It’s like Dora. She can’t get to Blueberry Hill without crossing the Grumpy Old Troll’s bridge that’s in every freaking episode, but she doesn’t know that. She doesn’t know what the Rainbow River is going to entail. But it’s shit she has to cross to get to where she wants to go. The bridge was put there so one could cross the chasm. But you have to pass a test in order to cross the bridge. Well hey, sounds a little bit like EVERYTHING WE DO, huh? You want that A? Cool, take the test to prove you deserve it. Answer the riddles to prove you are worthy to go pick some blueberries. We haven’t gotten the places we’re dreaming about getting, and we have no idea of how to get there except hard work and devotion, but those are very vague ideas. Medical school and law school require different things, but they all fall under hard work and devotion. Being a professional soccer player or a profession model require different skills, but they all fall under hard work and devotion. That’s all we know.

So, maybe I’m just really grumpy right now, or maybe it’s a valid point. Or maybe when I reread this it’s not going to make any sense. But, I guess the point is that there are too many people who think they’re in control. While you can choose the path you wish to follow, each path is going to come with it’s own hardships that we can do absolutely nothing to prevent. Teenagers are not gods. We are subjected to SAT testing, and rigorous college entrance requirements because that is how we better society. We pick the best to become the leaders of tomorrow. None of us understand the dynamics, because it’s not our place yet. But I’m just tired of the people who think they know everything, who think they’ve got all their shit figured out, who want to enjoy their teenage years before they’re wasted. While that is a noble sentiment, being a teenager is when we get a taste for what is required of us later in life. We learn the dynamics of a relationship, we learn to deal with overbearing and underbearing “bosses”, and we learn how much we still have to learn, and how much stuff we just utterly do not know. So choose the path in life you want to end up at the end of most, but don’t go into it thinking you can choose how to get there. You don’t know yet what it takes to be a doctor or a lawyer or a pornographic actor. The roadblocks are put in there for a reason: to discern who is most worthy of advancing and reaching the end of the path. Some of us are just not the people who would make Harvard a better place, myself especially. It’s not a problem. Choose your path, but each has it’s own ups and downs, and you’ll live with them if you’re truly devoted. Just accept the natural and beneficial ignorance of a teenaged soul.