Do you remember those lyrics? I recently discovered them on my Ipod by accident while listening to it on shuffle. It's the song "Real World" by Matchbox Twenty, released in 1996. I was 6 years old when it came out (I know some of you are thinking "Wow! You're so young!"-I get that a lot). I remember my mom blaring it on the radio or from a CD (maybe even a tape cuz those were still around then) while we were cruising on our boat on Washington Lake in the summer time.
At 6 years old I had no idea what these words meant. I didn't know where I was going in life and I didn't know that 16 years later I would feel the words of this song so deeply - "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me".
By nature I am a very adaptable person. In fact, if I'm not adapting then I'm usually getting bored. I need those random twists and turns in my life, which is probably why I thrive while living in China. I love when opportunities come up and I have to make a yes or no decision right then-are we going to Thailand...YES! Are we going to jump in the lake...YES! Okay, sometimes I do say no, but to be honest without spontaneity I would wither up and die, it is my nectar of life and health. Schedules, to do lists and societal norms all drag me down.
Obviously one reason you can't just say yes to every whim is money. But that also means money is a good indicator of how badly you want it - are you going to work for it, or was it really not worth it? I can honestly say money is a good problem to have, it helps you pace yourself, but societal norms don't help me. Everyone always says, oh you can do whatever you want-your young, your single, you don't have kids. But that's not true, especially in Western culture because I am expected by my peers and society to plan and commit. I have to know the year before what I'm going to do, and when people don't have those plans laid out, because of their cultural upbringing they feel a bit like failures.
So, you might think I'm free within China because Asian society is a little more lax. Not true. Actually, in this regard Chinese society follows Western society a little more closely. In China, plans and schedules and organization are all very important. You go to school until your 22ish, by then you should have a boyfriend, shortly after that you should be married, within a year you should be pregnant, then working so your child can do the same.
My question is "Why?" Why are we so stressed about the future, why are we so stressed abut our plans? Why can't we just relax? When I heard this song I remember enjoying the moment and loving life. And that's what I want from my future. Yes, I want to see good things happen in our world, I want to see the bad guy brought down and the hurt and broken risen up. I want to enjoy the moments and love life and I want to help create a world where others can do the same. So, why can't the "Real World just stops hassling me?"
At 6 years old I had no idea what these words meant. I didn't know where I was going in life and I didn't know that 16 years later I would feel the words of this song so deeply - "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me".
By nature I am a very adaptable person. In fact, if I'm not adapting then I'm usually getting bored. I need those random twists and turns in my life, which is probably why I thrive while living in China. I love when opportunities come up and I have to make a yes or no decision right then-are we going to Thailand...YES! Are we going to jump in the lake...YES! Okay, sometimes I do say no, but to be honest without spontaneity I would wither up and die, it is my nectar of life and health. Schedules, to do lists and societal norms all drag me down.
Obviously one reason you can't just say yes to every whim is money. But that also means money is a good indicator of how badly you want it - are you going to work for it, or was it really not worth it? I can honestly say money is a good problem to have, it helps you pace yourself, but societal norms don't help me. Everyone always says, oh you can do whatever you want-your young, your single, you don't have kids. But that's not true, especially in Western culture because I am expected by my peers and society to plan and commit. I have to know the year before what I'm going to do, and when people don't have those plans laid out, because of their cultural upbringing they feel a bit like failures.
So, you might think I'm free within China because Asian society is a little more lax. Not true. Actually, in this regard Chinese society follows Western society a little more closely. In China, plans and schedules and organization are all very important. You go to school until your 22ish, by then you should have a boyfriend, shortly after that you should be married, within a year you should be pregnant, then working so your child can do the same.
My question is "Why?" Why are we so stressed about the future, why are we so stressed abut our plans? Why can't we just relax? When I heard this song I remember enjoying the moment and loving life. And that's what I want from my future. Yes, I want to see good things happen in our world, I want to see the bad guy brought down and the hurt and broken risen up. I want to enjoy the moments and love life and I want to help create a world where others can do the same. So, why can't the "Real World just stops hassling me?"
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