This is quite possibly the most personally spot on cartoon I’ve ever seen. The idea of getting rid of all the preconceived notions about what I should be doing and things I should have accomplished and things I should want from life fits in well with where I am on my own journey and I think a lot of people can relate to this idea.
We are given this idea that we should have our lives mapped out from a very young age or we aren’t going to be successful. Combined with the celebrity worship culture in the USA, it puts a lot of stress on people to know what they want before they’ve had any life experiences to actually know what drives them. Yes, there are some who have a natural aptitude and a natural calling to pursue it from a young age, but even then, if it’s not profitable enough, they may be dissuaded from doing so. On the other side, those who aren’t sure what they want or who struggle academically or are kept back by systemic oppression can be inundated with an idea of never being able to accomplish anything because of circumstance, responsibility, or simply because they don’t have it planned from middle school.
These ideas are absurd.
Last week I wrote about feeling like my life was coming to an end because I was turning 40 (still hard for me to say it confidently) and hadn’t done everything I thought I should have. That comes from this idea that people, but especially women, age out of most things by the time they’re 30 and are seen as geriatric by the time they’re 40 (exceptions for Jennifer Lopez and a few other stars, of course).
Letting go of all the things we’ve been conditioned to believe we have to do is hard. For some, it may be near impossible. But when we do so, a whole new chapter opens up that is full of possibilities and adventures waiting to be written. Yes, that can be terrifying. But for me, it’s an exhilarating thought. It’s one more way to embrace change and grow as an individual.
Now, to find something symbolic to destroy to really drive the thought home….
References
Bradley, Jessee. (2021, January 05). 5 cartoons down. 360 cartoons to go. #cartoon #cartooning #cartoons #comic #comics [Status update]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6752403360743268352/
Hershorn, Hary, Pool, AFP via Getty Images. (2020, December 31). Jennifer Lopez [Photograph]. https://people.com/music/jennifer-lopez-tears-up-reflects-covid-deaths-new-years-eve-performance/
