We're Growing Up Too Fast

Where has the time gone? And what has this new dawn of time brought into this generation, a generation that at times I debate over whether I should even call it my own. How did we go from a time when being between the ages of 11 and 18 meant that you were being introduced to the world, that you were living the most enjoyable years of your young lives, to this?

What happened to the times when you didn't have to get a job until you were 18, or when you were enrolled or finished with college? What happened to the times when having your first serious relationship was in high school? What happened to the times when having your first child was something that you talk about when you’re married? What happened to so many of the young, respectful, and confident teenagers and young adults that we once had? What happened to my generation?

I know that a lot of you will read that paragraph and ask yourself, well what is he talking about, our generation is fine. No, it's not. Look around you. We have reached an era where kids can't enjoy being kids. It's not their fault, it's the ones who come before them. How did you learn to speak, walk, write or read? You were taught. Children are heavily dependent on someone else to learn and develop, and what they learn and observe will shape who they are and who they will become as they mature.

Many children find themselves exposed to the wrong environments where strong language, physical abuse, sexual activity, and illegal activities take place. Children mimic what they see, and if they are exposed to these types of environments, then they are subject to develop and display common mannerisms to the ones that they watch. The end result of all of this, you may ask? We are growing up too fast.

There are so many modern-day shows and movies on television that display sexual innuendos in them. Turn on the radio. Almost every single hip hop or rap song you listen to has some reference to sex, money, drugs, guns, or all four. There is a lot more on social media, no matter which app you use. Why is that?

I have never received an answer as to why there has been such an increase in the longing for sex, money, drugs, and power. I don't see what you have to gain by having so much sex, for drinking so much alcohol, for smoking x amounts of weed or cigarettes, or putting your body up for money. But, those are the most popular activities today. The sad part is that the age range of the people who participate in these activities is anywhere from roughly 13 to 35.

There are kids aged 12 and 13 out having sex now, and teen pregnancies will rise higher than they have ever been before because sex has now become such a “necessity” and popular activity in life. There are kids out getting jobs as early as fourteen as they prepare themselves to grow up and start earning their own money. Teens are getting pregnant at 13. Smoking weed or cigarettes or vaping has almost become a regular activity, as well as drinking, for those who are underage.

This generation is growing up too fast, and it's for all of the wrong reasons. I think that we should all really take a step back and think about what it is that we're doing. Because, at the end of the day, we're not "having fun", we're digging our own graves. People around my age will boast about drinking and smoking, saying every bad word in the book, having endless sex, and twerking like it’s something that makes them look good.

There's not a single person on this planet that can tell me that they are having a good time or that they don't see anything wrong with how they act and what they do. The truth is that you know that you agree with me. Smoking weed, drinking, racking in tons of money for body exposure, and having a lot of sex isn't as fun as you thought it would be. You're doing it because that's what "society" wants, and if you don't do those activities, then you won't be popular or liked by as many people.

Let me ask you this: Who is "society"? Do you mean those groups of people who always find flaws in everything? You're worried about making them upset or causing them to not like you? News flash, everyone is not going to be your friend, and you don't have to do everything that a certain group of people does to be friends with them. Don't try to fit in just because that's the only way to get their attention. People who like you for who you are are your real friends. People who like you for what you have or who pretend to be are not. Those are the people who sit down every New Year's Eve and post how they're going to change in the new year but drown even deeper into the waters of their own delusion.

There is always a misconception about what society really thinks. Society is only the way that you assume it is. People assume that what I put in the above paragraphs is what everyone has to do to make friends or to enjoy life. It's not. You don't live for everyone on this planet, you live your life and your life only. Some people don't even know what living their own life means anymore because they're so blinded by who they've pretended to be that a magnifying glass couldn't help them find it.