Shoot For The Stars Or Be Left In The Dust
Rewind to 2010. The rising automotive company Tesla motors just released its first car, the Roadster, only two years prior. Apple made a massive technological leap in smartphone technology by introducing Siri to their devices. The economy was still in recession and on its way back to recovery. And who can forget, Kobe Bryant just led the Lakers to back-to-back NBA championships.
Now bring yourselves back to 2021. Everything and every one has evolved rapidly. Wrists are commonplace for smartwatches, electric cars are becoming the new norm, cryptocurrencies are taking over, and the Lakers are still on top of the basketball world (some things never change). Imagine if someone mentioned Bitcoin or Apple watches to you in 2010. It would be something that we thought sounds great in theory, but are far from. Well, it all happened in fairly short order. This exponential progress in the societal/technological realm boosts our vision for an advanced future. It also lends itself to raising the expectations for the upcoming generation.
When I say the ‘upcoming generation’, that includes anyone in the age range of 14–30. This bracket is growing up during a time when innovation occurs quickly and the outcome is all that matters. There can not be a lapse in judgment or results, otherwise, there will be consequences on every front. This era is highly-competitive, stressful, and intense.
Compare And Contrast
It is difficult to avoid this issue. We are constantly making comparisons about something: Who is the better athlete, who is the better presidential candidate, what is the better food, etc. This habit is evident in our personal lives. We will compare ourselves to peers and use them as a measuring stick to quantify our own success. Sometimes it is not us, but others making comparisons. It may be our parents when they compare us with others in terms of academics or even chores. It can be frustrating to feel pitted against someone or a certain standard. Especially with the advent of social media, this generation sees everyone’s lives on display. We see people posting acceptance letters, achievements, their great looks, etc., and ask ourselves “Why can’t that be me?”
This tendency conditions us to feel pressured to follow the path of others. For instance, we collectively have deemed certain colleges as ‘good’ and others as ‘bad’. If you do not attend one of the good ones, you are not considered intelligent. We start convincing ourselves of this narrative and abide by it. This type of thought-process builds a sense of internal fear of being different. It is too consequential to stake out another path or take the journey less traveled. Our friends and even our parents will look at us differently if we do. We tend to succumb to that overbearing pressure and align with the norm. The reason being is that we want to avoid people berating us with questions and comparing us to what others are doing. The increased interconnectedness of the world makes it feel as if there is a constant spotlight on us.
Better Be A Know-It-All
The lines between distinct aspects of society are nearly non-existent due to the globalization and technological advances of the world. Social media connects everyone and makes information easily accessible. As a result, the number of people who have opinions increases. Whether this is politics, economics, technology, etc., more people know about more things. The time where doctors only know about medicine and students only know about their studies has passed. Everyone is much more aware of what is going on.
So how does that relate to the pressure the next generation faces? Simple. They are expected to have a greater and more diverse bank of knowledge. It is not ok to just be book-smart or experienced in one given field. They cannot stay silent on conservations or say ‘That’s not my thing’. They feel as if they need to be opinionated on essentially everything. This pressure manifested itself during the BLM (Black Lives Matter) summer protests. On June 2, over 28 million people posted a black square on Instagram in support of the movement. However, only 18 million people signed the petition seeking Justice for George Floyd (the man who was brutally murdered by Police Officer Derek Chauvin). There is a discrepancy of 10 million between those two numbers. An obvious explanation: people felt pressured to post. Despite not having any actual knowledge of the situation or caring for it, many took part so they align with the rest of their contemporaries and do not seem ignorant. This instance epitomized the current situation as a whole. You can not be educated in only one realm. You must be proficient in multiple and aware of all.
The Theory Of Evolution
The first species of humans began as the Australopithecus, which evolved to the Homo Habilis, then to the Homo Erectus, then to the Neanderthals, and finally to the Homo Sapiens. As Darwin articulates, we evolve. That logic applies in this context as well. People have gotten smarter due to the increasing standards that come with an evolving society. Today’s generation is required to know more and be more. For example, it is now a given that every child must go to college. This era is by far the most hyper-competitive academic environment.
Just take a look at the numbers.
1992
- Harvard University received 13,031 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 16%.
- University of Pennsylvania received 12,465 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 38.9%
- Stanford University received 13,207 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 22.1%.
2020
- Harvard University received 40,248 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 5.1%
- University of Pennsylvania received 38,918 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 9.8%
- Stanford University received 45,227 undergraduate applications and yielded an acceptance rate of 4.3%.
The numbers are just a part of the story. Undergraduate students are expected to have multiple extracurriculars, internships, and interests. Also, getting a bachelor’s degree in many fields is not enough if you plan to climb the career ladder. Getting some form of a graduate degree (M.A, M.S, M.D, J.D, P.E, Ph.D., M.B.A, etc.) is a necessity. Simply put, you need a loaded resume.
This generation feels they have to continuously push themselves to the brink. They are expected to hold the highest of ambitions and shoot for the stars. Otherwise, they deal with the possibility of being left in the dust. The combination of societal expectations, peer pressure, and the internal fear of rebuttal creates a toxic and tense environment.
