The Meaning of Adolescence

• March 2007
• Danee Garone '07
• Desert Vista High School

"If one can learn to see the end of the tunnel,
surely one can reach the end of the tunnel."

The adolescent years are a challenge to say the least. One must discover who they are, forge relationships, and learn how to be a functional member of society. These years are one of the most difficult periods in a human life explaining the high rate of suicide in this age group. When one grows old, they judge themselves not on how they performed menial tasks but on how they faced major events that played an important role in their life. Humans ultimately aim to look upon their lives in their latter years with acceptance and content; regret and sorrow accompany the memories of challenges met and absorbed poorly. One’s entire life is often shaped in the adolescent years.

You are often left feeling very lonely during the fabulous wonder years. One scarcely knows the feeling of absolute solitude as faced in the adolescent years. At its core, loneliness is nothing more than the awareness of the lack of affection one receives. One should never underestimate the power of feeling devoid of importance to others. Despair always befriends the lonely; despair is an addiction, one can not escape the act of creating emotional despair for one’s self. But you must remember, you are not the only one who feels this way, everyone is self-conscience and everyone feels lonely from time to time.

In figuring out life and my place in it, my struggles would sometimes become apparent to my mother and father. Unlike many kids my age, I deeply respect and admire my father. When he speaks, I really pay attention, although I can not always say the same for when my mother lectures me. At times, I would not be able to cope with what was occurring in my readjustment sequence, but he would talk me back down into the scope of reality; my father is all about having a plan; his tact in examining the positives and downsizing the negatives of my situation was often enough to fill me with the confidence to overcome my present predicaments, whatever they may have been. I have learned many valuable things from both of my parents. They have shaped my morals and my character. I think I have taken the most from my father. He has taught me such important tenets of how to handle life. Although, it may sometimes be easy to feel alienated from your parents, you must never underestimate the importance of what they say; after all, they have a lot of experience.

Sometimes family was not the comfort I desired; despite their invaluable help and support, certain things are best handled internally. It is times like these that one must examine their very most inner core; self-examination of one’s own mind and self if you will. One must support themselves if they are to thrive in a familiar environment, let alone an environment filled with uncertainties and unfamiliarity. Self-loathing and contempt breed despair and despondency; if one can learn to see the end of the tunnel, surely one can reach the end of the tunnel, but if one fails to actualize and reach peace, or at least compromise, with themselves and their situation then they are destined to initiate and perpetuate their own failure.

It is often best to explore the confines of one’s mind, to analyze your own thought processes and being rather than that of others as most of us are accustomed to doing on a normal basis. By understanding yourself and your own flaws you may solve and cope with your own problems and learn to understand and accept the problems of others. Failing to reach self-actualization on even an elementary basis will cause much mental havoc and will lead to the inability for one to accept and understand a situation mentally. But do not fret, everyone goes through this awkward period. Have faith in yourself and keep a positive attitude. Things are never as bad as they seem, and looking back on your current problems, they will not seem like problems at all.