Rat Race Running

Last Updated on May 27, 2023

Now that we have finally entered adulthood, we understand many things about growing up.

In elementary, we often looked at the older kids thinking that we would also be “cool” when we got into high school. Unfortunately, it did not go for most of us.

Then, when we were in high school, we thought that once we entered college and chose a degree, it would immediately point us in the direction of our future. Again, for many of us, it did not.

Finally, in college, we thought we would earn enough money and have everything figured out after graduating and started working. Sadly, it did not, not by a long shot.

The Sad Realities of Adulthood

When we finally started working and living independently, we realized that life is hard. It may even have confirmed that our parents and other adults in our lives were as clueless as us about many things when they started or even up to now.

Isn’t it funny or ironic or a little bit poetic?

We are always excited by the idea of moving up to the next stage of our life, thinking that by that time, we will more or less have things figured out.

We thought that as we entered the gateway to adulthood, the knowledge and wisdom of the world would automatically be uploaded to our system, and we would naturally adapt.

Maybe the unrealistic expectation that life would be easy when we finish college is the root cause of why many of us got frustrated and discouraged when we started our journey.

Adulthood is Hard.

We haste through life, thinking that the future will always be better than today, but many often fail to pave their way for the better future they’ve dreamed of. 

Many younger adults walk through life without considering how some careless actions or costly inactions today will directly affect the quality of their life in years to come.

As we grow older, we recognize that many people are just cruising through life without any direction – being tossed by the waves of the world until they get lost.

We are cast around and have to figure things out because we understand that not all adults know what they do.

They also look at what other people do and imitate or rationalize their actions.

One example is that so many adults don’t know how to handle their finances – those earning little or a lot. I thought that debt was normal for adults, but I soon proved it was not.

Relationship problems also arise from personal differences and ideals, monetary issues, and more, which can break even long-term couples.

Some also just grew older but still act like children trying to impress other people with their newest ‘toys’ and ‘hobbies’ by bragging about their house, car, vacation destination, job description, or accomplishments.

Looking at other people’s experiences gave me a bird’s eye view of what to do or not to do. Through them, I can learn a lot without spending my resources.

Final Thought

The last question is, have we grown up, or have we somewhat just grown older but none the wiser?

Eventually, we will slowly figure things out — not everything at once, but one at a time.

Then when we are older, we will look back on our lives and will be able to stitch the decisions that we made, both big and small, and realize how they were an integral part of God’s unique plan.

Keep the faith.