There’s more to life after college

One thing that is going to happen to all of us is getting older. Right now, people are going to tell you these very years you are living in are the best years of your life. People say “enjoy everything in college, make lots of friends, and take lots of pictures.” 

But I question if this is giving us the wrong mentality on life- saying that this time we are living in, our late teens and early 20’s, is going to be as good as it gets. 

Are we saying that life after college is not good, it isn’t exciting? Why do we stop celebrating our life after college? Is it because of the “milestones” we have to accomplish?

I believe once we hop off the hamster wheel of dreading the future, the better off we will be.

We cannot keep dreading the future simply because we are afraid it is not going to be the best time of our lives. You’ve had trials and have struggles already. You are bound to have some in the future. Because that is life. 

There is plenty to look forward to in life. Not everything happens at a young age. Even if our lives right now are our sports that we take part in or the social spheres we are stuck to.

There is a lot of other things to look forward to and accomplish when we are older. One figure we all know and probably all love is Morgan Freeman, the exceptional actor and  activist. 

He still works in films and fights for what he believes is right. If you’re anything like me, you enjoy seeing him appear in films. He is 82 years old and is still making his dreams come true and working on the things he loves. 

When we have a problem or we are concerned about something going on in our lives who do we call? Who do we talk to? Personally, I talk to my dad, teachers, or grandpa. The “older” people. Because I am aware they have so much more knowledge on problems then I do. They can help me because they’ve lived longer and know how to handle things that I didn’t even know I would have to deal with. 

The social stigma around ageism is detrimental. Did you know people in nursing homes can range in 40 years of age?  When we see “older” people we just call them old. 

We put them all in one group when they each are of a different age and we discriminate against people simply because of age. Aging is not a problem or a disease. Aging is living. 

Yes, these years are really amazing and hold so many opportunities. But you’ll also have plenty of opportunities in 10 or 15 years. 

Thinking that our life is already over before it begins is poisonous to ourselves, others, and the community. 

We need to be more accepting as a whole towards people of all ages and to not put a stigma around certain times in our lives. 

Your life isn’t over because you don’t know what you’re doing after college. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. You aren’t old just because you’re in your early 30’s and still don’t have kids. 

We need to accept that some things will happen now and some will happen later, and age is nothing to be afraid of.