Nostalgiac At 17 Not a good sign...

[Caveman 0]

So here I am. It's Sunday night, my last free hours of this Christmas vacation before I head back to the old grind that is high school. My philosophy book is cracked open, and as I decipher the mysteries of psychological egoism I can't help but think how DEEPLY DEPRESSING it is to be a teenager in today's society. There's so much opportunity, yet so many expectations. So many right paths to take, but just as many wrong ones. Your glittering future can be dangled right in front of your gleaming eyes, but there's little margin for error. All I can say, as a university-bound high school senior, is that I wish everyone could just chill out. Everyone misses the essential point these days, and its disturbing to see it happen over and over again.Coming from an affluent suburban community, there is an enormous amount of pressure to perform. Kids in my school have been pounding and pounding the books with little regard to their physical and social health. It's all about getting the highest test scores so you can get into that prestigious Ivy League university so you can snag a job with a 6-figure income so you can spend the rest of your life bathing in green in a mansion on the water with a half a dozen cars in your garage and a butler to polish your shoes as you slip in the door. You know, if this is all life is about, then consider me an outsider, because I don't want to be a part of it. Every once in a while, I daydream back to my times in elementary school where I didn't have a care in the world. Nothing to worry about except who to schedule the next playdate with and what type of potato chips to stock up on for the next slumber party. Life was FREAKING GOOD back then, and the VERY LAST thing on my mind was the distant future. Life was all about NOW. Having fun while you still got the chance. And it's not like I wasn't a bright kid, either. I was damn sharp, I tell you. I pretty much burnt out in the fifth grade, and I've managed to hold my own since, but nowadays, coping with the STRESS of post-secondary planning is becoming obnoxious, and I'd give just about anything to see it all go away...I highly suggest that all of the overachievers out there get themselves a nice girlfriend and try falling in love. It can really work wonders. When you're falling head over heels for somebody, you pay little regard to the material world around you. Life reverts back to the pre-adolescent wonder years, except instead of playdates and potato chips, its romantic nights on the beach and red roses. Seriously, people desperately need to prioritize more efficiently. We shouldn't be doing things for ME ME ME. Ideally, we'd see our lives revolve around US US US, so that instead of comparing our wallets and pocketbooks, we might choose to seek improvements in our character. Call me bitter, call me elementary, but money CANNOT buy you happiness. I recommend that everyone summon the inner child in themselves for at least one day. Get out and play in the sandbox. Go roll around in the mud. Suck down a couple ice pops and go for a bike ride. Come home, flop on the couch, and take a freaking NAP. Finally, top it off with a nice, long bubble bath, because bubble baths are just so damn cool. Liberate yourself, that's all you need to do. You'll feel refreshed, I guarantee it.You want happiness? THAT'S where it's at...