Gripping tightly to my mother’s soft and supple skin, alas my mind was tranquil. I looked so innocent and felt so pure. Life seemed seamless – an endless tunnel of possibilities and opportunities. I smiled without any afterthought as my heart beat ever so intermittently and freely. My brain rarely ever experienced aches, and my heart rarely had any quakes. In sleep, my soul yearned to see the next day for the brilliance and serendipity of life. Little worries my heart faced and minor uncertainties did my consciousness evoke. With an open and innocent mind, I look forward to the future. However, with gradual evolution, my future begins to transcend. With the transition of time, my smiles appear almost bogus. My consciousness becomes worrisome of life’s uncertainty. In that used-to-be casual sleep of mine, my brain begins to house anxiety, repping out more nightmares than dreams. With this transcension of time, reality kicks in and the future doesn’t seem so appealing anymore. In no time, life’s game begins to divulge a myriad of philosophies before our eyes, and in no time, we can’t help but look to the past hoping for some light as the scam of adulthood reigns in terror for our very eyes.
The advent of adulthood commemorates the advent of negativism. As adulthood begins to kick in, life’s dark side begins to haunt us and strip us of our childhood innocence. “Our innocence when we are children is a valuable commodity we don’t get back as adults. Our innocence is the reason why we have dreams as children. Our innocence allows us to have a clean slate with our relationship with our relationship with the world” (Lashun, 2023). In no time, we begin to realize that negativity is a huge part of the world. We begin to realize that negativity is a huge part of the global economy. We begin to the hopeless atmosphere the global economy perpetuates. As the tenets of adulthood become harsher with time, many of us resort to lamentations and giving into the ultimate end of suicide. As depressing as it sounds, adulthood is a scam indeed, and I’m very sure a majority of the 10,257 other enrolled undergraduates will second me on this. However, the purpose of this piece is not to strip ourselves of every realism and drain us into the endless well of despair, but to be a light at the tunnel. Adulthood is a scam if we want it to be one – we make of adulthood what we want to make of it.
With Yikyak, an anonymous posting social media app, bumping out steamy opinions like “I hate my depression rn…”; “…Put me out of my misery;” “I live paycheck to paycheck;” it has never been easier to fall victim to frustration. As a student myself, I resonate with the above rants. However, I think the first step is embracing the problems that come with adulthood. I strongly believe that 99% of our problems can be alleviated with a mindset shift. The sooner we realize how much of a scam adulthood truly is, the earlier we can vet our capability to deal with the scam. With such an embrace, our neural pathways undergo Neuroplasticity, attuning our consciousness and neural pathways to the bustles of this huge scam. As adults, we must recognize that with such age comes great responsibilities. Rather than lament, complain, or worry, why don’t we take responsibility? Why don’t we embrace the cruel uncertainty that this age throws at us? By embracing this uncertainty, we may end up with some certainties. Worrying solves nothing.
Speaking of uncertainty, the journey of adulthood is filled with numerous roadblocks of uncertainty. However, “the need for certainty is the greatest disease the mind faces” (Greene 1). A huge part of taking responsibility is letting go of the past. The past is gone, but its memories are illusions of certainty; therefore, in cognizant fashion, we turn to it for solace and some inspiration. Certainty doesn’t exist. The more we turn toward the past, the more we crave and cater to false uncertainty. The more we cater to this “false uncertainty” (the past) and dwell too much in there, the more we relinquish ourselves and fall susceptible to depression. In a converse resolution, the more we crave false certainty in the future, the more anxious we become. Tomorrows are made of todays. As adults, a huge part of beating Imposter Syndrome that naturally comes with adulthood is focusing on today. The only thing certain for us is now – today. By focusing on that, we can create that future we so rightly desire.
Breaking and breaching through the stratosphere of Adulthood’s Scams also stems from taking atomic steps. A huge atomic step is self-belief and affirmations with a sprinkle of realism. We must have a mentality of faith and rational optimism. If you’ve thought that self-affirmations were stupid, you’re not alone. I used to think that as well until I began to delve deeper into Neuroscience, which opened my eyes to the huge impact our words had on our consciousness. A huge eye-opener of Adulthood is that no one is coming to save you. If you don’t let yourself be HIM or HER, no one else will. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. While doing that, it’s important to be rational. Be realistic with your present position and set goals to remind yourself of the great power that resides within you to accomplish your goals. An oasis of power and value resides within your humanity – it’s on you to rejuvenate that oasis and let it speak for you. Therefore, be careful with your words, so your reality is an embodiment of your positive affirmations. The most important part of it all is DOING. Actions speak louder than words for a reason. Similarly, action produces results. Results reinforce the repetition of action. To envision the dreams of adulthood we had as a child, action is the distance between dreams and reality, so you might as well just get started. Words settle the energy; action transcends the energy in this and gives flesh to your words. More Positive affirmations, more action.
As children, we may have dreamt that as adults, we could do anything we wanted to at any time, but College continues to bring us closer to the reality that adulthood holds for us. We can choose to make of it whatever we want to make of it. The world is too negative to be more negative. Embrace some positivity and make of adulthood what you will. The Ball is in our court. The Discretion is yours. Again, we’re all in this together. We rise by lifting others.