Turning 18

As I got older I realized that being wrong is not a bad thing. It is an opportunity to learn something.

— Richard Feynman

No matter what the age is, when you stop and look back at meeting those milestones, whether it be age 2 or 10, there is something special about each year of you getting older. Still, I can argue that there is something really exciting about reaching this age i.e 18.

I always thought that the minute the clock hit twelve in the morning, I would be a completely different person. (obviously not but what can I say i am a very dreamy person.) But lately I have started to think that maybe that is not the case. Change cannot be abrupt. It has to happen gradually. And that is what makes this journey beautiful. I remember a quote I read somewhere that the journey is more beautiful than the destination itself. And I think that this quote aptly describes this journey of turning 18.

When you turn 18, it seems like you’re finally taking that crucial step between simply being a teenager (it is very hard, trust me) and actually being a young adult.(this is more tough than being a silly teenager but may look very enticing, its a mirage what can I say!). Turning 18 is a very enriching experience. It plays a very important role in everybody’s life. It literally shows the transition from teenager life to adulthood. There are so many things which you can do once you turn 18. The right to vote gives us a different kind of empowerment. Now we have the right, the power and most importantly the duty to choose a person who can make our nation prosper.

You understand your responsibilities not only towards your parents but also to the community and world as a whole. You get a more broader look at the world and the way you perceive things changes, albeit gradually. You can no longer just rely on your parents and teachers but now you actually have to start taking responsibility for your own actions. Your cognition power increases. You start formulating opinions on important topics and discussions such as diplomacy, terrorism, the democracy, foreign relations, geo politics and other worldly issues.  Earlier, even if our thoughts and ideas are correct and logical and reasonable, they are not given enough importance just because we are still considered a child. But after turning 18, people start giving more significance to our thoughts and the ideas which we put forth.

There is also a feeling of getting an inferiority complex when you see the people of your same age being more accomplished than you are. But it is at these times when you actually learn the proverb that “Everybody has the same book, they are just on different chapters”. When the page you are reading is too hurtful or too scary, you do not just close the book but instead just turn the page. This transition also gives the feeling that you are actually totally unsure about what you are going to do in life. You are still figuring it out and that is okay.

Your relationship with your circle changes. You start to understand your parents and start looking at them not just as your parents but as an independent individuals. You lose some friendships. Some friends betray you. You start to differentiate between your real friends and your fake friends. Your friends are going to chose different career paths and you are gonna lose contact with them. You get exposure to things such as social media. You often feel a overdose of information cause there are so many people who are eager to share their experiences and advices and many a times you are just confused on what is right and what is wrong. Now that you are officially an adult, the expectations just keep on piling up. Expectations from parents, teachers and other elders. These expectations are not wrong but they are enough to baffle and complicate the life of an 18 year old.

There is also a certain need and fire in our eyes to prove yourselves and become successful. At this stage you are not at peace with yourself and you want to achieve perfection. Your blood is boiling and you want to do so many revolutionary changes in your life. Earlier you used to work to please your parents but now you work to please your peers. There are so many changes physically, mentally and intellectually that we can actually not cope up with. It can get a little bit stressful and frustrating. You also get disappointed in yourself many a times. You feel inadequate. Your mind is working at 80 miles per hour. You are trying to keep up with your thoughts. It gets really hard sometimes. And at such times our parents, teachers and mentors play a very important role. They help us guide and point us in the right direction. Straying from the path is okay sometimes but totally forgetting our goals in the meantime is very hazardous.

At 18, you are are not very accomplished but you have definitely achieved something. You can look back at how far you have come far. How you have actually evolved from a sweet innocent child to a responsible and kind of a matured adult? This is the age where you are actually trying to understand what the heavy words like Justice, Fraternity and Equality truly mean. Earlier we are very excited about being responsible and independent but along with that also comes the realization that now that we have taken our decisions we are also responsible for the outcome because authority and responsibility goes hand in hand.

Whatever we do in these 4 to 5 years is gonna decide what we are going to be in the next 10 years. This is the turning point of your life. You are gonna make mistakes but you have to learn from them and not repeat them. There are so many incredible opportunities waiting for us to explore. There are so many things to do or to be honest, start doing- Health should always be given the first priority. You should start doing productive things and inculcating good habits like working out in the gym and reading books because books are the best companions anyone can ask for. Learning important life and social skills and widening your social circle. Forming relationships for life. Learning business and money management because even though money is not the sole purpose in life, it definitely has its importance. It can also get a bit scary because now is the time where the dreams which the younger you has dreamt of can actually be fulfilled. This is the time to cover the gap between dreams and reality. This is the time when you are only one decision away from living a totally different life. I think adulthood is when a person becomes a full-time role model for younger ones.

One of the biggest things you find out is that a lot of people deal with hard things in life and it’s how they handle it that determines the outcome. No one person has all the answers and everyone has weaknesses, even the most successful ones (especially the most successful ones). You just have to keep in mind to give back something productive to the world.

The coronavirus, however, seemed to have different plans for me and for all of us. It hit us at such a time that we never really expected it. Because this is the time where we have to grow and become a responsible citizen. But that is ok because it has taught us to survive and thrive in any situation which we end up no matter how hard the circumstances are.

Just describing the feelings of turning 18 in under 1000 words is difficult for me, but I hope that I was able to do some justice to whatever is happening inside the mind of an 18- year old.

(This post was the 1st proper write-up that I had written just as I was turning legal and while I do not agree with some of the concepts written by my 18 year old self, it just felt apt to give my younger self a platform to voice her opinions and thoughts.)