Humans have fleeting lives. A hundred years at most, and sometimes as little as just a few minutes. Some people will leave their imprint on time and history, but most people are just lost in time. With no meaning to most lives, what is it worth?
If you look at it this way, nothing you do matters. You could rob a store, or read a book. Get in a fight, or stay home and watch a movie. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter what you do in the long run.
But another way to look at it is that though life is fleeting, that’s just another reason to make the best of it. To be kind when you can, and to chase your dreams. To make the most of the time you do have.
Highschool is one experience that will last the rest of your life. Four years doesn’t seem like it’d make such an impact on our lives, but it does. During these four years, we can’t wait for them to be over, but after all we want is to go back.
Highschool seniors, as they have been in highschool for four years, are generally ready to be done with the whole experience. They see the year coming to a close, and they celebrate. Some will be sad about losing friends or teachers, but the general consensus is that the storm is almost over, and they’re almost free.
“Am I excited highschool is over? Hell yeah!…….I’m ready to start a new chapter” STEM Senior Gabrielle Silva said.
Contrary to the opinions of teenagers, a lot of teachers and just general adults wish that they could go back to their highschool years. to be free of any real responsibilities, and to just be a kid again.
“There are things that I wish I had done in highschool…..I couldn’t do any sports because of my foot, but I wish I had been in more academic clubs.” Former teacher, Ms. Roser said.
There are some adults and teachers, however, that had a bit of a rough highschool experience, and would never want to go back to their adolescent years.
“My first two years I went to Holmes, but we moved to Illinois for my junior year……I wasn’t eligible for anything, and had nothing to do. We moved back to Holmes and once again, I wasn’t eligible for anything. All my friends were doing all these things with the school and I had nothing to do. That’s why I don’t miss it.” STEM Freshman geometry teacher Ms. Schlicting said.
There are many factors of adolescence and childhood that we don’t appreciate or notice until after it’s gone. This is an idea that has shown up in many texts and many famous quotes have been coined off of. The most famous of which was from an Irish dramatist/author named George Bernard Shaw.
Shaw had many famous remarks about childhood foolishness, some of which include “Youth is wasted on the young,”, Youth is the most beautiful thing in this world-and what a pity it has to be wasted on children,” and “They’re brainless, they don’t know what they have, the squander every opportunity of being young, on being young,”. He said this in the spring of 1931, and although that was nearly a hundred years ago, it still effectively describes the actions and foolishness of children.
Youth is a fleeting and beautiful thing. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. The only thing you can do is enjoy it while you have it, and remember it after it’s gone.