So we’re officially halfway through my
version of the Stages of Life. If this were a television series, you could call
it the mid-season finale. We've covered the rudimentary phases of youth, from
pre-birth to post-pubescent. This blog marks the final step of the teenage
years, eventually transitioning into the life of the young adult. This period
in time is not for the faint of heart, and it certainly is the most fundamental
catalyzing agent to convert the standard Grade 8 Friday night mall-rat, into
the socially isolated Netflix-watching couch potato. This quick-to-slow acting
enzyme is known by its Greek name: highoschoolius, although today
we just call it high school.
The first truth a fresh-off-the-bus
ninth grader discovers on his first day of high school is that the experience
is nothing like how the movies portray it. There isn't as much glory to be had.
There aren't that many wild fights and crazy occurrences that happen on a
day-to-day basis. Mostly it’s individuals shuffling from classroom to locker,
to classroom again. Things start to get a little heated when someone stops in
the middle of the hallway and gets yelled at for blocking the flow of traffic.
High school is really just a giant mass of bodies existing within the confines
of an edifice intended to keep kids off the rough streets. The closest thing to
resemble it is prison, but one that allows you to go home after the hours of
operation. (Disclaimer: Don’t envision high school to be the set of “Mean
Girls”, you’ll just be disappointed to find out Rachel McAdams isn't there).
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| Not based off a true story. |
Now let’s take a closer look. The first
few weeks of your first year are those you spend hanging out with the
classmates that came from your elementary school. You’re too shy to branch out
and socialize outside of the classroom setting; I know I was. And then there’s
always that one kid who has just enough testosterone to man up and test the
waters. The baby bird leaves the nest and makes friends with other students. A
few others are brave enough to follow in his footsteps and make new friends
too, but most stick together and fear change. Another lesson to be learned
here: high school splits the group into leaders and followers. As the year
progresses, you begin to get to form opinions on everyone, even if you've hardly
even shared more than a few words with most of the students. “That one guy is
hot; I want to start dating him and tell him I love him the day we start going
out”.” She’s really athletic, probably a Tomboy who has more guy friends than
girl friends; she’s definitely a flirt.” “Wow, who knew stupid was contagious”.
You’re still a reserved person, but you’re beginning to get out of your shell
and pass judgement on people you hardly know (of course, you keep it to
yourself). Yet you look up to the seniors with admiration and envy; they are
the definition of cool and popular. The highest prestige you can achieve in
this god-forsaken place is to enter your final year and earn the badge of
awesome.
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| It's just me, myself and I. |
The second year of high school begins.
A long summer has separated you from your friends, and instead of a warm
welcome, you get the cold shoulder and the fake kindness. In the eyes of your
former colleagues, you’re a stepping stone to finding better friends. Moral of
the story: you can’t trust anyone. Now you’re left to walk the long path of
loneliness and solitude (FYI, it’s a synonym for the “journey of
self-discovery”). You begin to mingle with people you judged a little too
quickly and harshly the previous year. You spend more time focusing on your
studies, since it is a school of learning after all. Finally, you try out for a
school sports team, or club, or group, and discover something you can
accomplish decently. Better yet, you get to know people who share common
interests. “Dude, did we just become best friends?” 1
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| Who will you become? |
Grade 11 is an improvement over the
previous year; this time you have reliable friends, you have something you’re
good at, and you feel generally more comfortable in your own skin. The kid you
were in grade 9 is becoming a faded memory, but there is still a shadow of your
former self that remains. You continue to branch out; you put the effort to do
well in classes instead of just getting by on a passing grade; you might even
try to get involved in external organisations to fulfill those 40 hours of community
service. At this point, you're beginning to establish which elements of your
life to which you want to be associated. Which field of study will you begin to
pursue? What are your daily habits? What is the source of your drive? What do
you fear? Will you have the courage to overcome your angst? How do you treat
others? What are your views on important world issues? Who are you shaping up
to be?
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| When life deals you a harsh hand. |
Your final year of high school, and
really the remainder of your existence, is dedicated to answering those
questions. Getting to know yourself and the functioning of your inner
mechanisms tends to isolate you from your classmates, since self-enlightenment
must come from within. Your group of trusted friends is reduced to a limited
few, and things that once mattered become irrelevant. Anything superfluous is
cut from your life. This time period tends to be morose and difficult to
manage, what with vast piles of assignments, scholarship applications,
university offers, community volunteering, work and family. The stress of it
all makes you want to curl up in bed and sleep until all your problems go away.
It turns out senior year isn't as wonderful as you thought back in your first
year of high school. Here lies the final and most vital test to which you will
be subjected: will you submit to the challenges of the world and choose the
easy route, or will you step up to the occasion and make do with the hand
you've been dealt to finish the game strong? It’s a daily decision we all
contemplate, one that I struggle with more than most. The high school
experience I described is for the most part my own, and may not apply to
everyone. Yet, if there is one thing we seniors have taken away from the last 4
years, it’s that when we do what is right, good things tend to happen in the
long run. Your future suffers when you don’t work hard in the now.
I’d like to leave you all with a quote that inspires me to just keep moving
forward even when times are tough. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a
mystery, today is a gift …, which is why we call it the present”. 2
References:
1 Quote from Step Brothers
2 Quote from Bil Keane
Jonathan, I really enjoyed reading your blog. I find that your explanation of the high school years to be very accurate. I've always thought the same as you that high school is nothing like it is shown in the movies. They tend to play it up to be "the best four years of your life" and for me, I found the past for years to be more stressful than anything. Thank you for the enjoyable read!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nina, and you are absolutely right! High school was most definitely a step up from grade school where grades did not matter as much and life was much simpler. Indeed, I've suffered stress at the hands of the high school work load, and sometimes I wish I could go back to the good old days. But with university looming just around the corner, would that I could stay here just a little longer. In a few months, I'll undoubtedly be reminiscing about these last 4 years in envy!
DeleteVery nice stream of consciousness writing that often (but not always) relates to your topic, but is an interesting journey nonetheless. Funny and insightful throughout.
ReplyDeleteThings to consider: A touch more video media would be nice and the majority of your background is a dull white. Spice it up perhaps?
Wow amazing Jonathan, you just keep on getting me, you're blogs are very helpful and the way you write is just very accurate the way you are speaking to the readers, helpful information, I wouldn't like to see your blog come to an end its just phenomenal. I sure hope you keep on blogging long after this semester ends.
ReplyDelete