The Roaring 20's

Some of you may be wondering why I am going to talk about the 1920's in my blog today.  Well, I am not.  The roaring 20's I am talking about, rather, is the decade we all live through after our teens and before we level out in our 30's.  Having just graduated from the 20 something club, I can say that it was a tumultuous time for the most part.  A while ago, it must have been either in my late teens or early 20's, I read somewhere that adolescence doesn't technically end until around the age of 27.  This is, according to scientists and those in the know, when the brain finally finishes connecting all the pieces and leaves us with who we are essentially.  This isn't to say that the brain doesn't change over the course of our whole lives, but the majority of connections are made and enforced from the time we are born till we are 27.  Each decade leading up to that age seems to be filled with its own set of challenges.  The first decade of our lives I feel is one of the easiest.  We are figuring out the world around us and learning everything possible.  Our teens are outwardly perhaps the most challenging as our hormones are raging and we figure out how society functions and how we relate to one another.  Our 20's, once we have learned all the basics plus some, figured out how to relate to others socially, we must then go through a period where we figure out who exactly we are.  For me, at least, the 20's were a time of getting to know myself, adjusting to it, and attempting to figure out what exactly my role was in life.  Well, the first two items were tackled during my 20's and a good portion of the third as well.  That being said, the third item I mentioned is still developing and I think is a perpetual question that lingers with us as we age. 

I personally wouldn't want to go through my teens or at least early 20's again (the latter half was better).  Looking back now, I must say I really struggled to figure out who I was and where I was going.  It was a journey of ups and downs emotionally with lots of experimentation along the way.  I believe now that most of it was an effort to define who I was in society and how best to relate to others based upon who I was.  I see others going through their 20's now and see a lot of inner struggle.  I know that when I was there, I managed most times to put on a good facade, make everyone believe I had my stuff together, while inwardly I was a struggling.  It is much easier to see this in others having just lived through it than while you are actually there or if you are removed by time from that tumultuous decade.  I must say, the roaring 20's for some is probably easier than it is for others, but I believe that everyone goes through a period of questioning during that time and most likely some introspection.  I feel for those going through that period right now.  Especially in this day and age where we are bombarded by messages of who we should be or what we ought to do, the journey isn't easier, in fact, I would hazard to say it is more difficult.  With the influx of information coming in, it is at times difficult to sort out who we are from who we aren't.  Those who managed to figure themselves out in their teens have a much better time during their 20's, but there is still struggle.  My only hope is that those in their 20's now don't lose sight of themselves amidst all the confusion that is going on around them.  I have had friends who have gotten stuck in their 20's and never left, some physically, others mentally.  Not all succeed at getting through it, however, if the foundation is good, then you will make it through.

I think that is the core of what gets us through our 20's, our foundation.  If we don't have a solid foundation that we built with our parents during the first decade of our lives, then it is a lot harder to lose sight of ourselves when we reach our 20's.  Having solid basis of ethics and morals behind us is a great boost when we need it.  For me, there were many times where I floundered and wondered how I would ever move on from where I was.  It required stripping everything else away and remembering who I was when I was younger, the way I was brought up to be, and the spirit and strength I had inside of me.  It was not easy to get back to the basics, but it was necessary and it turned out for the better I feel.  The trials I went through will never be forgotten by me.  They have become a part of who I am, not necessarily in defining who I am now, but in some sense providing perspective on my life and teaching me about what to do and what not to do.  Ah well, that decade is now over for me and hopefully all those going through it now will make it through to the other side.  That's all I got for day, tiredness has taken over.