Fears for the Future April 2010
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Fears for the Future April 2010 The Verdadera staff encourages you to discuss and explore the issues and stories, as the publication aims not only to offer an outlet for expression, but to improve our lives. Keep in mind that the emotions that flow through the text and the feelings behind the words could be those of your child, your classmate, or your best friend. Things to consider: Where do our fears for the future come from? How do we cope with the fear? Are my fears based on facts or the unknowns? Does this fear help or hurt us? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Student Submissions You need to go to college. End of story. That’s Maybe I should be scared for college. But I’m the way my mom talks to me. The way my mom talks to not. Because whatever, I’ll get in somewhere hopefully; me, it seems as if college is the end of my life, as if get some kind of decent job, live in a small apartment everything I’ve done for my whole life is to get to maybe, I don’t need any luxuries I just want a simple college. And frankly, I feel that I don’t nececssarily life. need to go to college. I guess thought is what scares me What I’m scared for is having a family. And about the future. I feel like ive been brainwashed to a living alone or getting married then having my spouse point in which im not gonna be prepared for what file for divorce. I’m scared of being a bad parent or happens next. My moms telling me to study hard now. getting some disease and dying or losing connections But im not learning anything besides that. Im scared with my friends; I’m scared of the day that I’ll get a call about what I might have lost in the process, like maybe saying that my parents died. I’m scared of getting raped im screwed after college is over. I wish I redid high and I’m scared of being discriminated. school, learning things I care about learning. But sorry, College, you have not entered my ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ list of fears yet. “I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ that is the lamp of experience. I know no way of judging “The future comes one day at a time.” ~ Dean Acheson of the future but by the past.” ~ Edward Gibbon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1 Usually people are scared about the future ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ because it's something parents pressure you about all the “Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.” time - "You have to get good grades to go to a UC" ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley "You meet who you marry- become a doctor". But for ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ me, I'm scared of so many things. I'm scared of dying. I'm scared of falling in love and getting my heartbroken. I anticipate and fear the future simultaneously. I'm scared of not living up to my hopes and dreams. I'm What it holds is not a very appealing picture for me, yet scared of my life in general and what's going to happen it is better than what is happening now. In fact, I can see to it. I want to be able to live up to the expectations my myself 30 years from now, and while I sincerely hope family members have of me, but I'm scared I won't. I'm that my dream will come true, there is also the very scared of not ever getting married and having a family. equal chance that everything can crash and burn. It used Of never becoming a pediatrician which is what I want to be when I was younger, I loved thinking ahead to become. I'm scared of... everything. because I was so sure that all my hopes and dreams ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ would be fulfilled. Now, it is a very ambivalent subject “Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the for me. I anticipate the future because I will be away future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent from my abusive parents and be able to establish my life that this is humanly possible.” ~ Hannah Arendt without having that shadow over my head. Sometimes, i ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ even play out scenarios about ripping into my parents about what they do to me on a daily basis before I go to High school is hard. It isn’t immensely hard, college because they are so blinded by their actions; but it’s tedious, and long, and that alone makes it almost they think that they are perpetually in the right. But I unbearable sometimes. Sure, there are only four years of know that I cannot do that if I hope to go to a decent it; less depending on where you are in your high school college. On the flip side, i am also scared that I will career, but high school isn’t even the half of it. Because never get over what happened to me for sixteen years, after high school comes college, and after that you and whether one year in college can really mend work, and all through that you are saving up to retire, something so painful. I anticipate the future because I and after you retire you die. It seems like one’s life is hope I will able to get into the college I want and be a always just preparation for the next stage. That’s what doctor; yet i am also fearful that I will not get where I scares me about life: the prospect that I could go need to go. Call me cynical, but its pragmatic. Being through my entire life and never amount to much. More optimistic is a nice mindset, but it is not very realistic importantly, that I could go through it all, all its ups and and certainly does not apply to real life. I do not know down, and never really be happy. I want to get good what the future holds in store for me, but I hope I can grades in school, because they are necessary to further deal with whatever happens. Being free is really the part my life, but not at the expense of my own enjoyment. If I am looking the most forward to, and I know in that all you do is think about the future, you’ll never enjoy that I will not be disappointed. yourself at all; whereas if all you do is have fun, you ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ will never go anywhere in life. It’s a two way street, “These days people seek knowledge, not wisdom. and; too far in either direction and you get hit by a Knowledge is of the past, wisdom is of the future.” truck. I suppose that’s what life’s all about. Simply ~ Vernon Cooper trying to situate your self in the metaphorical center of ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the street, where traffic usually doesn’t venture. But that goal is hard to achieve, and figuring out HOW to So I go into my lit class, and I find out that achieve it is even harder. Personally, I have no idea, and we're having a presentation about what courses to take I don’t really think about it too much. I suppose that’s and how to fill out the course selection form and what how I manage to not get too scared of the future. not. This gets me thinking about the future... What Unfortunately, it does need to be figured out eventually, classes will I take? What classes do I need to graduate as the future will come eventually, slowly but from Monta Vista? But then, what classes will get me relentlessly. And when that time comes, whenever it is, into college? And what classes will let me skip some one needs to have some idea of where they’re going and college courses? Then, I start thinking. Where will I be what they’re doing with their life. I’m just glad that day in 10 years? What am I going to be? The thing is, I don't isn’t today, or any time in the near future, because to be know. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be even competent enough And thats the scary part. It seems like everyone knows to figure it out that they want to be a doctor, or a vetrinarian, or a lawyer. But I don't. And apparently, whatever you want 2 to major in helps determine what classes you should won't be able to fulfill myself or re-discover that drive, take, because colleges want to see you take an interest that passion. in something. But I don't know what I want to be! I'm The thing is, sometimes (a lot of times?) the scared for what will come. Since I don't know what I other aspects of my life depress me. Maybe I just can't want to do, what am I going to do when I apply for get into the groove, into the mood to be passionate? But college? Do I even want to go to college? What will when I have bad grades in all my classes and my happen to me? I wish I could just float around. Go with conceptions of myself have been turned upside down the flow, you know? Do I really have to decide and I've lost touch with so many people, I guess I can everything now? What I decide now will determine my understand how one part of my day no longer excites entire life! I can't make these decisions right away.