Journal 65: Proving One’s Self

Young people feel that they need to prove their strength to be accepted in the adult society; they hope that they can accomplish things that other adults can. Proving their strength, endurance, or maturity is like giving a source of recognition to the adult society so they can find a reason to accept you. It’s like a bachelor’s degree; a lot of people really don’t get much from the university but a credential and that’s a proof of certain level of education. Every time I moved to another place and went to the school there, I always had to do something to try to fit in. For example, I have to know the jokes and stuff people there’re talking about, and I had to be really nice that made people believe that I’m a really nice person. I think that’s a process of proving that I am capable of being one of them, and I think this is pretty typical for everyone. When I was younger I used to try really hard to fit in and I found that kind of pointless because it would make people find that you’re eager to fit in and some of the people might taunt at you, and it’s essentially pointless in the first place if you try to be someone that’s not the real you. However, I think I would do the same thing even now if it’s necessary because objectively speaking the ability to fit in would be really important in this society and sometimes your credentials are more important than your abilities.