The True Identity of Youth | Teen Ink

The True Identity of Youth

August 23, 2008
By Anonymous

Welcome to the best and worst years of our lives, where we learn the most about admission into the huge world of socialization, the unique individuals lying behind the faces of pimples, makeup, and rebellion, and the utterly admirable time of human existence we call life. Some people see this time of life as grade school or anyone who is under the age of 18, but to many it is recognized as the age of youth. It sometimes seems to me that everyone who is above the age of youth understands it better then the young themselves, and that in this place in our lives we are just in a constant search for who we are or one day want to be. Sometimes we care less about who we are, and more about what the people around us and society want us to be, and go beyond measures just to be accepted.
There are so many roads and detours taken, choices and mistakes made, and as we speed along through this endless path to the destination of what we hope to be, I can’t help but complain, “Are we there yet?” Well, from my experience and observation, I don’t really think we ever truly will be. Sometimes I wonder if the worlds of youth and adulthood are really as distant as society may think. I believe that there is a piece of youth planted in the hearts of everyone, and that part of every person’s identity will forever remain young. So the true identity of youth lies in the hearts of all people. We get bigger, taller, older, and wiser, but in the end we are really all just a bunch of kids running around a playground, desperately trying to fit in.

The author's comments:
Last year I was asked to enter an essay contest by a teacher, and friend of mine. She was aware of my passion for writing, and gave me the contest guidelines. The topic read, "The True Identity of Youth,” and it was to be between 250 and 300 words long. I managed to write what I had thought to be a very simple, opinionated essay pertaining to the very broad topic in about ten minutes. After judging, I was surprised to see that I had won first place. The essay reveals my personal thoughts on the true concept of youth and adolescence.

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