The
best year of my life was when I met my wife. Let’s be clear on that. My most
life-changing experience was when I met my life partner. Got that?
But…
a close second was grade 10. Grade ten! I’m excited because I recently saw a
picture of myself at that age. It brought back memories.
I may remember it better than it really was.… But I honestly cannot recall a bad thing that happened to me in grade 10. Other than my obsession with a girl who didn’t have the same feelings for me – apart from that whole hormone-driven fiasco – grade 10 was awesome.
I bonded with friends whom I have never shared a closer connection. We united over our beliefs in God, our rejection of materialism, and our love of U2. We were as close to hippies as one could be without the drugs.
Strangely,
I have not kept up these relationships. We moved apart and I don’t really talk
to them anymore. I don’t even know where most of them are today. Even though
they may lurk on Facebook (confirmation: they do), I don't feel the urge to
reach out to them. I’d rather remember them for who they were, for the close
attachment we had at the time. In fact, I doubt such closeness could ever be
recreated. I’m likely making this sound waaaay better than it was, but allow me
this once to look back fondly at the good ol’ days.
My
third best year? Probably grade 12. It was fun. Not as fun as it could have
been if I had a girlfriend, but we had fun. I missed my 20-year and 30-year high
school reunions, but that's not because I didn't enjoy my time in high school. It’s
just... I’d rather remember everyone for who they were, for the close
attachment we had at the time – I doubt that closeness could ever be recreated.
Notice a theme?
What
about elementary school, you ask? I’m not sure it can rival high school, as
turbulent as that period of my life was. There’s something about those years
that make me a little sentimental. And I don’t get sentimental. Got that?
And
so, it was with great sadness, that I read about the unhappiness of our youth.
You may have heard: this year Canada ranks 24th in the world for
happiness. And it’s the youth who are dragging us down. They are unhappy with
things, and they don’t hesitate to tell the world how much things suck.
Thanks,
kids! Thanks for ruining our otherwise stellar reputation!
If
youth are really that unhappy, well then, I gotta tell you, it doesn’t get much
better. You’ll just keep going down that U-shaped valley until middle age,
where (I’ve been told) you hit rock bottom, then (I've been reassured) you slowly start to feel better again. This is all by design, so that by age
80, you’re having the best years of your life.
But
if you’re already stuck at age 20, then might I suggest getting off TikTok?
It
can't be good for any kids’ mental health when everything is now online. Our
social lives, our finances, and every blog post (gulp) could live on forever.
We keep our heads in our phones without simply hanging out.
For
those of us who didn’t grow up online, we got the best of both worlds – childhood
with imagination and adulthood with Facebook – but for those who grew up with
everything on their phone, maybe it wasn’t so good for them?
Social
media is clearly a part of the problem. But I too went through periods of
depression and loneliness at a young age, so it’s not hard to imagine feeling
down. It’s no easy slog to have to be independent for the first time, not to
mention learning how to function in this increasingly educated, automated
world. I mean, just learning internet banking is a feat unto itself.
I’m
struggling to come up with a coherent thesis because there isn’t one easy answer. In truth, it could be a multitude of factors made worse by technology.
One thing is for sure, the Baby Boomers are doing just fine. As per usual, they are milking life for all it’s worth. Just waiting, with anticipation, to begin the best years of their lives: their 80s.
