‘We Were Young and Wild and Free’ Really? Well, Maybe You, but Not Everyone

(On the False Belief that Recklessness and Stupidity Are Rites of Passage)
by aLfie vera mella

Ang tagumpay nga ba ay resulta lamang ng pagkakamaling itinama?

Isa ka ba sa mga nagyayabang na napagdaanan mo na ang lahat ng kalokohan sa mundo noong iyong kabataan kaya akala mo e napakatalino at napakagaling mo ngayong ikaw ay matanda na? Iniisip mo ba na kinakailangang madapa muna sa katarantaduhan at malulong muna sa masasamang bisyo bago makabangon at maging ganap na matibay at kagalang-galang? 

Kung ikaw ay minsang nalulong sa masamang bisyo o nakagawa ng malaking pagkakamali pero natuto at nakayang bumangon at baguhin ang takbo ng buhay, e di mabuti; maaari mong gamitin ang karanasang iyan bilang aral para sa ibang tao at lalo na sa mga kabataan. Subalit wag mong isipin na ang pagkakadapa, pagsubok sa masamang bisyo, at paggawa ng kamalian sa buhay ay kinakailangang pagdaanan bago maging ganap na matatag at responsableng tao.

Many people believe that recklessness is a natural quality of young people—especially teenagers, thinking that just because they're still young and inexperienced so they are incapable of appreciating the value of life and the virtue of humility and of developing a sense of logic. They think that, to become responsible adults, they should first experience being wild and reckless.

However, when I look back to my own youth, I realize that the assumption does not apply to everyone. Teenagers are not automatically reckless and careless. In fact, I had many friends back in my teenage and younger days who were having so much fun and even partying but were not engaging in stupid stuff like smoking their lungs black, drinking their livers to death, cooking and pickling their brains in drugs, and feeling invulnerable, arrogant and chauvinistic. Some were even able to party and follow fashion trends while being able to study and excel and engage in quiz bees, debates, class recitations, academic and other school activities, and ace the exams.

Time to Break the Myth and Disengage from Such Stupid Rituals
Recklessness is not an inescapable folly. One can become wise and responsible without having to experience being reckless. Choosing better paths and thinking smartly do not depend on the age of the individual. People should not think that recklessness and stupidity are rites of passage to adulthood. Adult people who think this way are perhaps reckless and careless themselves when they were young, and they are only assuming that everyone shares their experience, failing to realize that they should be speaking only for themselves, because there are many people who passed through their youth without succumbing to such follies as recklessness and stupidity.

The more they think that way, the more they are influencing many young ones into succumbing to the follies of youth. But I don't lose hope. I still believe that there will always be people who want to let young people of this generation realize that they always have a choice—the right to choose between pursuing a better and responsible path towards adulthood and treading a dangerous and reckless road to irresponsibility, mediocrity, and pathetic self-destruction.

There are many assumptions and misconceptions about teenagers and teenage itself. Many people think that irresponsible and reckless experiences or activities are rites of passage from youth to adulthood. They should realize that these are all unnecessary and that a person can experience teenage without the need for these obvious mistakes and follies. In fact, many people who didn’t experience such stupidities turned out fine…even better, wiser, and cooler individuals.

The Truth about Teenagers and Teenage 
Smoking, drinking, and drugs are not teenage necessities. You always have a choice, and there are many good ways in becoming a cool person. While there are many reckless and irresponsible teenagers and young adults who dabble in these vices, there are those who don’t but are still able to engage and delight in worthwhile activities related to music, arts, literature, and sports—and they turn out even healthier and wiser.

“Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” is only a myth. Getting into music or forming Rock bands does not require engaging in smoking, drinking, and drugs. The battered cliché “Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” has always been a myth only stupid, gullible, and narrowminded people believe.

Taking risks is okay but not at all times. It depends on the kind of risk one is taking. Calculated risks—those that can have positive outcomes—are worth pursuing and trying. Reckless risks—those which have obvious negative results—are simply stupid. Quitting school for a year to pursue a promising business or career opportunity is an example of a calculated risk that is worth trying. Stealing examination documents from the faculty office to possibly pass an examination is obviously not only risky but also stupid.

Sa Madaling Salita
Ang kalokohan at katarantaduhan ay hindi kinakailangang pagdaanan ng kabataan. Maaaring maging isang responsableng tao na hindi na kinakailangang madapa at magumon pa sa masasamang bisyo at gawain.

Or, in Simple Words
Recklessness, carelessness, stupidity, irresponsibility, and other similar follies are not default rites of passage from youth to adulthood. A young individual can become a responsible adult without the need to dabble in crazy stuff. There are a myriad better ways of enjoying one's youth.

The experienced, the challenged, and the scarred do not necessarily and automatically end up as the wiser and more responsible citizens of the world. In fact, many responsible, admirable, and well-accomplished adults have always been like that since their younger days.

Falling and failing is inevitable in some instances in one's life, but one doesn't need to fail or fall just so one can stand up and rise with one's head high. Success could be accomplished without its having to be a result of failure. Success will always be superior to failure.