All of this psychology mixed with the ever-looming uncertainty of post-graduation and I'm starting to feel quite manic-depressive about my future. One day its fear and panic over how I'm going to get to where I want to be in life. I don't care so much about being there, but rather, being on a nice forward journey getting me there. The next day its complete elation about how for the first time I will really have the chance to build my own life, call the shots. Fulfill my goals with the massive blockade of college and school behind me.
I think its funny how people say its "real life" after graduation - "you're on your own...this is the real world!" As if everything up until this point has been "fake life". The thought of being out of school does make everything much more real. The "I'm just a student" excuse for why you aren't fully pursueing a career, or why you don't have money, or why you don't get married is not longer valid, and that's kind of scary.
In a few of my psychology classes we've discussed Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist who I seem to really agree with. Basically he believes that when human beings are left alone, by nature they will reach towards happy, fulfilled, peaceful, and meaningful lives. It's only when outside social pressures from society, friends, and family come into play that people become confused, anxious, lost, and inevitably unhappy. Now it seems too simple, but looking back some of the most unhappy times of my life have been when I'm stuck doing something someone else wants for me, or what I'm told I should do, or what the world says is important. And the times I've been happiest have been when I throw caution to the wind, and fully, balls to the wall do what I believe I'm meant to do, social pressures be damned! And excuse me if my limited knowledge and over-simplication of this great psychologist has offended anyone, but I like Carl Rogers. From what I've heard he was a very happy, peaceful man, and I really think he had something going with his theories! So I'm trying to take them to heart and follow my goals and aspirations, and try, as hard as it is sometimes to just shut out all the rest.
