Modern Misery
Hullo.
How are you? If you follow my Wattpad account or read any of my work on said platform, you may have noticed that I haven't been uploading or posting anything there for the past four weeks. Nor have I posted any new work here on this blog for the past three weeks either. Simple answer to that is school.
Two-hour long classes, perplexing group assignments, approaching due dates, emotionally draining tests, full-day taekwondo tournaments, finishing up the faculty yearbook, fancy award ceremonies, the whole thing, yeah.
I haven't even had the time to learn French these past three weeks, and I'm starting to loose my French-ness. I would give anything for a few hours of peace to sit down, and write. So here I am now, hiding in the school library, away from the rest of the world, hoping to finish this blog post I've been writing for the past four days now (yes, I take forever to finish writing something).
Unlike my usual posts of my recent work (and sometimes previous work from years ago) or my random personal stories, this is a sort of inspiration post.
Sort of.
What I noticed about teens nowadays (yes, this post is again about teenagers and their many problems etc. etc. etc. Hush now.) is that they're miserable. It doesn't matter if they're the most extroverted person you know who probably has a million friends at this point, or the talented athlete at school, or the quiet kid who likes to sit alone in class (fun fact: that's me), or the selfie queen sitting next to you, they're miserable.
It's human nature to be sad. It's just one amongst the many emotions we humans have. A strong emotion, yes, but an emotion nonetheless. However, unlike the rest of the emotions we experience, sadness can last a long time. Add frustration, confusion, anger, and helplessness into the mix, put it into the oven, and you'll end up with a dozen misery muffins that can last for years. Don't try this at home kids.
Anyhow, if you define the word "misery", it is "a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress or discomfort" (googled and extracted from Google. Here is my citation). Back then prior to the 20th century, the main reason why teens were miserable was because of external influence, such as lack of food, shelter, and jobs, especially during economic recessions and the two world wars.
If we date back to the medieval times in Europe, where teens were sent off to work in other people's houses after a certain age, I wouldn't blame them for being miserable or not liking it at all. Wars were common and food was scarce and downright monotonous. There was no such thing as light chicken caesar salad, mac and cheese, mini toasted strawberry shortcakes, spaghetti aglio e olio, mashed potatoes, or even cheese burgers at the time. Don't even get me started on The Black Death or The Plague of Justinian. Children, teenagers, adults, kings, and nobles alike suffered greatly from them. And if you've heard of The Great Depression during the 1930s, then you'd know that teens, or even people in general, were super miserable when getting a job was the one thing you wanted but the one thing you could never get. If you really think of it, teenagers back then were mostly miserable due to external influences.
Nowadays, most teens are miserable not because they don't have food, nor because they sleep in one or two-room houses with a family of seven and two cows (farming families did this because there was no place to keep the cows), but because of internal reasons. They're miserable because of themselves (excluding those who are still in the midst of wars like Africa and the Middle East). I know it sounds rather confusing, but how many times have you wondered why you're "like this" and find faults in yourself? Don't get me wrong, I do the same thing too.
You see, most teens nowadays are suffering from pressure. Peer pressure, parent pressure, school pressure, all that lot. The stapled examination papers on desks become every teens' nightmare, a modification to the hysterical fear of waking up the next morning to see that you've been struck with the plague. Students are being drilled down day and night, And it is this pressure that causes teenagers to break down and drown in the pits of misery. No more wars (well, excluding the wars still going on today) or lack of a Nintendo console being the cause of an adolescent's distress and unhappiness. Examinations and grades are the new form of torture.
Of course, love is a common cause of misery (though not always). It doesn't matter if you're a maiden who lived as a farmer's daughter in the 8th century, or a clergyman's daughter during the Victorian era, or a pilot in the second world war, or a 16 year old schoolboy now in the 21st century. Mankind has suffered in the hands of love as long as we (probably, I'm not too sure) had in the hands of war itself. We're human, there would always be people we love and like as we go. There would always be this one person that stumbles across your life and leave a permanent mark in your soul. It is how we choose to deal with it that matters in the end.
Back to the topic of examinations, you might have noticed that teens (and even kids) nowadays prefer to bury their noses in books than get out there and host an event or play sports. These aren't even fictional books where you fly across London on broomsticks, fight dragons in search for your long lost brother, sneaking up and about high-security facilities in ninja outfits, or captured in the most hypnotic love story the world has ever seen. These are academic books: Physics, Biology, English, Geography, Economics, History, and the most dreaded subject of all -- Math.
Though it is no doubt that academic subjects are crucial to one's knowledge of the world, but let's face it. You loathe it. All those past year papers, all those hours spent on studying and revision, all you want to do is throw them all in a large bonfire. Teenagers nowadays are so caught up in their studies, that they forget that the world is more than just exam papers and movie stars (and countless juvenile bands and singers on the rise).
Those who shove advanced math and science subjects down their throats, knowing very well that they would suffer greatly from it but do it for the sake of "it's easier to choose enter college this way", graduate in hopes to major in the field of their choice. But once they get there, they stop. They pause. Is this really what they want to do, or are their souls intertwined with something else? "I thought mass communication was for me," they'd say. "I thought it would be much easier than cracking my head on calculus and science. Why is this so hard?" From this obviously paraphrased string of thought, you can tell that this unnamed teen doesn't actually like what they're majoring in. They like something else. If so, what is that something else?
Tsk, tsk.
My dear young ones, there's so much more than that (ew I sound like an old creep). So much more beyond those fields. Most non-science students choose to go for mass communication, law, business, and arts when they graduate from high school, thinking that those are the options to go for as an "arts" student. Because no way would they be willing to spend hours upon hours on complicated math problems and the perplexing concepts of science. Those "science" students who genuinely enjoy math and science, or rather, those who are just brilliant at the two subjects, tend to choose engineering or medicine. "To be a doctor, or an engineer," they would say.
What most teens are suffering from now, other than from numerous examinations fired at them on a weekly, monthly, quarterly basis, is a lack of interest. They don't know what they're interested in. See, this is a problem. A major problem no one is paying attention to. All everyone worries about are grades, grades, grades. Straight A's. Good schools. Scholarships. Get a high-paying job.
But has anyone stopped to think what these teens actually like? Yes, some teens love science, some teens love math. Some are brilliant artists, some are smart and mature enough to know more about the global economy than a college graduate. At the end of the day, you're creating lifeless robots who have nothing but constant lines of "A"s on pieces of paper and spend their free time scrolling through their phones all day.
Reader, whoever you are, as you're reading this, no matter if you're a twelve year old with violent mood swings, or a high school student trying to find a place in the world, or a working adult bored with your current job, or a seventy-five year old woman who wants to do more than just sit in an armchair all day, explore. Get up, and explore. Do things you've never done before, do things you've done in the past but never got the chance to do it again. The world is filled with wonderful things (no, wars and guns don't count). Learn, grow.
There's so much more than just being actors, singers, businessmen/women, accountants, doctors, teachers, and engineers (though there are many types of engineering). If you love plants and nature (like my mom and I do), maybe you could give environmental science a go. Are you a fashionista? Maybe a fashion school would suit you. And even if you don't have full interest in a certain field/activity, don't let that bring you down. You can always like more than one thing. One advice I can certainly give you, is to have a professional interest in something, and a personal interest in something else. That way, when you at least won't be drained out on just one. You'll be a more all-rounded person, and maybe, just maybe, you'll re-gain your footing in your life.
P.S. In case you're not currently in a good mood whatsoever, here's something to (hopefully) cheer you up. This, as you can see, is five year old me and my three year old sister trying on our new ballet clothes (we only took classes for a few months before quitting).
Anyway, I hope this was (a little?) helpful, especially for those who are currently going through modern misery and maybe (hopefully) my next post will be something less dreary.
Chin up, stay positive, and eat a fruit. See ya.
- Nukey
How are you? If you follow my Wattpad account or read any of my work on said platform, you may have noticed that I haven't been uploading or posting anything there for the past four weeks. Nor have I posted any new work here on this blog for the past three weeks either. Simple answer to that is school.
Two-hour long classes, perplexing group assignments, approaching due dates, emotionally draining tests, full-day taekwondo tournaments, finishing up the faculty yearbook, fancy award ceremonies, the whole thing, yeah.
I haven't even had the time to learn French these past three weeks, and I'm starting to loose my French-ness. I would give anything for a few hours of peace to sit down, and write. So here I am now, hiding in the school library, away from the rest of the world, hoping to finish this blog post I've been writing for the past four days now (yes, I take forever to finish writing something).
Unlike my usual posts of my recent work (and sometimes previous work from years ago) or my random personal stories, this is a sort of inspiration post.
Sort of.
What I noticed about teens nowadays (yes, this post is again about teenagers and their many problems etc. etc. etc. Hush now.) is that they're miserable. It doesn't matter if they're the most extroverted person you know who probably has a million friends at this point, or the talented athlete at school, or the quiet kid who likes to sit alone in class (fun fact: that's me), or the selfie queen sitting next to you, they're miserable.
It's human nature to be sad. It's just one amongst the many emotions we humans have. A strong emotion, yes, but an emotion nonetheless. However, unlike the rest of the emotions we experience, sadness can last a long time. Add frustration, confusion, anger, and helplessness into the mix, put it into the oven, and you'll end up with a dozen misery muffins that can last for years. Don't try this at home kids.
Anyhow, if you define the word "misery", it is "a state or feeling of great physical or mental distress or discomfort" (googled and extracted from Google. Here is my citation). Back then prior to the 20th century, the main reason why teens were miserable was because of external influence, such as lack of food, shelter, and jobs, especially during economic recessions and the two world wars.
If we date back to the medieval times in Europe, where teens were sent off to work in other people's houses after a certain age, I wouldn't blame them for being miserable or not liking it at all. Wars were common and food was scarce and downright monotonous. There was no such thing as light chicken caesar salad, mac and cheese, mini toasted strawberry shortcakes, spaghetti aglio e olio, mashed potatoes, or even cheese burgers at the time. Don't even get me started on The Black Death or The Plague of Justinian. Children, teenagers, adults, kings, and nobles alike suffered greatly from them. And if you've heard of The Great Depression during the 1930s, then you'd know that teens, or even people in general, were super miserable when getting a job was the one thing you wanted but the one thing you could never get. If you really think of it, teenagers back then were mostly miserable due to external influences.
Nowadays, most teens are miserable not because they don't have food, nor because they sleep in one or two-room houses with a family of seven and two cows (farming families did this because there was no place to keep the cows), but because of internal reasons. They're miserable because of themselves (excluding those who are still in the midst of wars like Africa and the Middle East). I know it sounds rather confusing, but how many times have you wondered why you're "like this" and find faults in yourself? Don't get me wrong, I do the same thing too.
You see, most teens nowadays are suffering from pressure. Peer pressure, parent pressure, school pressure, all that lot. The stapled examination papers on desks become every teens' nightmare, a modification to the hysterical fear of waking up the next morning to see that you've been struck with the plague. Students are being drilled down day and night, And it is this pressure that causes teenagers to break down and drown in the pits of misery. No more wars (well, excluding the wars still going on today) or lack of a Nintendo console being the cause of an adolescent's distress and unhappiness. Examinations and grades are the new form of torture.
Of course, love is a common cause of misery (though not always). It doesn't matter if you're a maiden who lived as a farmer's daughter in the 8th century, or a clergyman's daughter during the Victorian era, or a pilot in the second world war, or a 16 year old schoolboy now in the 21st century. Mankind has suffered in the hands of love as long as we (probably, I'm not too sure) had in the hands of war itself. We're human, there would always be people we love and like as we go. There would always be this one person that stumbles across your life and leave a permanent mark in your soul. It is how we choose to deal with it that matters in the end.
Back to the topic of examinations, you might have noticed that teens (and even kids) nowadays prefer to bury their noses in books than get out there and host an event or play sports. These aren't even fictional books where you fly across London on broomsticks, fight dragons in search for your long lost brother, sneaking up and about high-security facilities in ninja outfits, or captured in the most hypnotic love story the world has ever seen. These are academic books: Physics, Biology, English, Geography, Economics, History, and the most dreaded subject of all -- Math.
Though it is no doubt that academic subjects are crucial to one's knowledge of the world, but let's face it. You loathe it. All those past year papers, all those hours spent on studying and revision, all you want to do is throw them all in a large bonfire. Teenagers nowadays are so caught up in their studies, that they forget that the world is more than just exam papers and movie stars (and countless juvenile bands and singers on the rise).
Those who shove advanced math and science subjects down their throats, knowing very well that they would suffer greatly from it but do it for the sake of "it's easier to choose enter college this way", graduate in hopes to major in the field of their choice. But once they get there, they stop. They pause. Is this really what they want to do, or are their souls intertwined with something else? "I thought mass communication was for me," they'd say. "I thought it would be much easier than cracking my head on calculus and science. Why is this so hard?" From this obviously paraphrased string of thought, you can tell that this unnamed teen doesn't actually like what they're majoring in. They like something else. If so, what is that something else?
Tsk, tsk.
My dear young ones, there's so much more than that (ew I sound like an old creep). So much more beyond those fields. Most non-science students choose to go for mass communication, law, business, and arts when they graduate from high school, thinking that those are the options to go for as an "arts" student. Because no way would they be willing to spend hours upon hours on complicated math problems and the perplexing concepts of science. Those "science" students who genuinely enjoy math and science, or rather, those who are just brilliant at the two subjects, tend to choose engineering or medicine. "To be a doctor, or an engineer," they would say.
What most teens are suffering from now, other than from numerous examinations fired at them on a weekly, monthly, quarterly basis, is a lack of interest. They don't know what they're interested in. See, this is a problem. A major problem no one is paying attention to. All everyone worries about are grades, grades, grades. Straight A's. Good schools. Scholarships. Get a high-paying job.
But has anyone stopped to think what these teens actually like? Yes, some teens love science, some teens love math. Some are brilliant artists, some are smart and mature enough to know more about the global economy than a college graduate. At the end of the day, you're creating lifeless robots who have nothing but constant lines of "A"s on pieces of paper and spend their free time scrolling through their phones all day.
Reader, whoever you are, as you're reading this, no matter if you're a twelve year old with violent mood swings, or a high school student trying to find a place in the world, or a working adult bored with your current job, or a seventy-five year old woman who wants to do more than just sit in an armchair all day, explore. Get up, and explore. Do things you've never done before, do things you've done in the past but never got the chance to do it again. The world is filled with wonderful things (no, wars and guns don't count). Learn, grow.
There's so much more than just being actors, singers, businessmen/women, accountants, doctors, teachers, and engineers (though there are many types of engineering). If you love plants and nature (like my mom and I do), maybe you could give environmental science a go. Are you a fashionista? Maybe a fashion school would suit you. And even if you don't have full interest in a certain field/activity, don't let that bring you down. You can always like more than one thing. One advice I can certainly give you, is to have a professional interest in something, and a personal interest in something else. That way, when you at least won't be drained out on just one. You'll be a more all-rounded person, and maybe, just maybe, you'll re-gain your footing in your life.
P.S. In case you're not currently in a good mood whatsoever, here's something to (hopefully) cheer you up. This, as you can see, is five year old me and my three year old sister trying on our new ballet clothes (we only took classes for a few months before quitting).
Chin up, stay positive, and eat a fruit. See ya.
- Nukey
<3
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