Power to the Twenty Somethings

We are lazy and have no real skills. We are pampered and entitled. We are idealist and unrealistic. These are things we heard about ourselves. No jobs, no opportunities. Even graduate degrees won’t find you work. No one is hiring fresh-faced liberal arts students holding a CV stacked with unpaid summer internships. These are things we heard about the world. The closer we came to graduation, the louder these observations seemed to echo. Pessimism abounded, and even in the promise of our degrees we could feel its weight.

Crossing the threshold, we faced our generation’s mal due siècle and dealt with it in our own ways. Though we were confident, we were not unshaken, and though we were privileged, we still dwelt on our disadvantages. In the first year we ran the gambit of occupations, from rockstars to interns to waiters to teachers. Some continued onto grad school while others traveled the world. For all of us, though, it was a year of discovery and exploration. Like standing on the platform at a bustling subway hub, there were many directions to choose from. Picking a track to travel down, one that would likely take you far from where you currently stood, was at times an overwhelming decision.  For many of us, myself included, it was a testing and often frustrating process.

Over one year has passed since I left for Zambia. When I came back this summer, I was bowled over by how everyone’s lives had settled and strengthened, like the cement in the foundation of a new home. Everywhere I visited, I was struck by how friends had established themselves, pursued remarkable endeavors, and built up impressive lives.

To name a few, but not come close to exhausting the list:

Traveling to Afghanistan to teach at the country’s only music school, bringing the strength of music to students who could truly use it.

My little sister, moving into her first apartment with a friend, cooking meals, going to work, berating me for eating all the snacks in her pantry.

Starting a business in the rough and tumble world of New York finance. Facing down setbacks, innovating and pushing forward, confident of success.

Moving across the country to pursue a passion for glassblowing; starting from scratch and paying dues. Becoming a stand-out artist producing incredible works.

Holding down a full-time job while earning a Master’s degree at night and still having time for a social life and camping on the weekends.

Building robots, getting published for work on smart wheelchairs, while at the same time turning an apartment into a welcoming and comfortable home

I really can’t impress enough how often I felt this way during my visit. Over and over I marveled at my friends’ lives with delight and a dash of envy. In each one I saw the evidence of a willingness to pursue dreams, to doggedly shrug off challenges, and to surround themselves with things that made them happy. I feel very proud of my friends, and twenty-somethings in general. In the direct sunlight of the real world, rather than withering, we have proven we can flourish.

 

(In America)