AN ODE TO THE UNIVERSE:
All this model U.N. business has really got my mind in a twist. I was home sick with my mom on Thursday, and being away from chaos of the everything has really given me some time to think. Think about myself, and the overall direction my life is taking.
The idea of growing up has always eluded me. With each passing day I retire to my bed, putting aside childish things to lay and reflect. Have I behaved maturely? Have I displayed unique traits among my coeval? Have I yet to discover any-sort-of-god-damned-direction-in-life? Often times, the answer is no. No, no, no. I have spent countless sleepless nights stuck in this cycle. I’ve also spent countless sleepless nights saying,
“Screw it.”
Then getting up to do the one thing that clears my head, makes me focus, gives me, direction. Playing video games. That doesn’t sound like a very adult thing to do, probably because it isn’t; but oddly enough I find that within the safe haven of the virtual realm, I am more mature and more observant. I have direction. There is one game in particular that I often fallback to after “hard” nights. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Despite having played through the game several times, the game’s message (Or at least my interpretation of its message) seems to make itself even clearer with each playthrough.
Ocarina of Time is a story about the inevitable day that all of us face. It’s a story about leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of home to venture out into the enormous and uncertain world that awaits us. It’s about leaving your comfort zone to have an adventure, to define who you are. To grow up.
The idea of growing up has always eluded me. With each passing day I retire to my bed, putting aside childish things to lay and reflect. Have I behaved maturely? Have I displayed unique traits among my coeval? Have I yet to discover any-sort-of-god-damned-direction-in-life? Often times, the answer is no. No, no, no. I have spent countless sleepless nights stuck in this cycle. I’ve also spent countless sleepless nights saying,
“Screw it.”
Then getting up to do the one thing that clears my head, makes me focus, gives me, direction. Playing video games. That doesn’t sound like a very adult thing to do, probably because it isn’t; but oddly enough I find that within the safe haven of the virtual realm, I am more mature and more observant. I have direction. There is one game in particular that I often fallback to after “hard” nights. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Despite having played through the game several times, the game’s message (Or at least my interpretation of its message) seems to make itself even clearer with each playthrough.
Ocarina of Time is a story about the inevitable day that all of us face. It’s a story about leaving behind the comfort and familiarity of home to venture out into the enormous and uncertain world that awaits us. It’s about leaving your comfort zone to have an adventure, to define who you are. To grow up.
GOODBYE, EVERYBODY. I've GOt to GO.
Being a teenager is tough business. Don't get me wrong, I'm lucky to have been born at the turn of the century. My 2000 - 2005ish demographic grew up influenced by the tough as nails attitude of the U.S. during the 90's, and we grew up together, despite 99% of us having never even met because of the rise of digital media.
We as people have never been so universally united, yet our senses of individuality have never been so developed. The world is a very different place. A son no longer grows up in the same world as his father.
It’s a weird time for all of us, and us teens are stuck in the middle of it all, we’re not quite kids, and we’re not quite adults.
We grew up with the free flow of digital information. As it developed, so did we. (I like to think of my development as a person as akin to the evolution of home gaming consoles because I'm a nerd.)
We as people have never been so universally united, yet our senses of individuality have never been so developed. The world is a very different place. A son no longer grows up in the same world as his father.
It’s a weird time for all of us, and us teens are stuck in the middle of it all, we’re not quite kids, and we’re not quite adults.
We grew up with the free flow of digital information. As it developed, so did we. (I like to think of my development as a person as akin to the evolution of home gaming consoles because I'm a nerd.)
WHICH BRINGS ME BACK TO THE U.N.
The more I look into the organization, the more I begin to see it as a procrastinating teenager. We've spent a pretty considerable amount of time this week looking at actions of the U.N. and as far as I can see, most of these "actions" can be discounted as mere purple poetry. We spent most of this week looking at the most significant past actions of the U.N. If the Millennial development goals were on track to be achieved in 2015, why are more than one billion people in the world still suffering from hunger? If Human Rights were realized in 1948, why are there still people, within our own country struggling with indecent treatment?
The U.N. is a massive international organization unmatched in scale. If there are so many people involved with the organization, why does it seem like progress is so slow?
The U.N. is a massive international organization unmatched in scale. If there are so many people involved with the organization, why does it seem like progress is so slow?