USING WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW

21OCT 2008
Every once in a while someone will remark, “Oh, to be young again.” Of course, this sentence is usually followed with, “If I’d known then what I know now…” Don’t kid yourself, if you were back then with what you know now, they’d lock you up because you’d mess things up worse than you can imagine.
Well, let’s take a brief walk down memory lane.
Do you remember the awkwardness that seemed to envelope most of us in our Junior High years? Let me just remind you of entering puberty and living through the teenage years. There was the chaotic raging of hormones within us and our clashing interaction with the world around us. There was an awkwardness that seemed to curse our every move; our voice changed in mid-sentence, our parents didn’t understand us – we didn’t understand ourselves! One minute we’d be a loving half-way rational person and then the next minute we’d be screaming that no one understands us. We either had a growth spurt that made us seem to outgrow our clothes over night or we gained weight which added to our fragile self-esteem. Hopefully, now you are remembering what was like to be young.
Think back to those who endured the cruel taunting of others. If you were part of the “in” crowd you taunted others to make yourself feel good. If you were not part of the “in” crowd you formed social groups to talk about those who you felt were out to get you. If you didn’t have a few close friends then each day you went to school you were on your own. Teenagers can be some of the cruelest people and some people have never gotten over the ugliness they experienced. And you want to be young again?
Of course, there was beginning to look like we were older than we were and people began expecting more out of us. People would just expect us to know. We would go to school and we studied to pass tests that few adults around us could pass. We had mathematical questions that our parents didn’t have a clue even how to find the answer. We were expected to be calm, moral, health conscience, rational, thoughtful, punctual, ethical, obedient, law abiding, perfect drivers, babysitters, lawn caretakers, free house laborers, athletes, scholars, theologians, philosophers, all the while we were supposed to hold down a job and, oh, yes, lest we forget the parental send-off “Have fun.” And what was the family word used around your house that you were threatened for using …and you want to be young again?
Our friends expected us to join them in whatever dumb stunt they were attempting. Our families expected us to join them in all their activities.
And there were those immature show-downs between kids. After school fights, parking lot confrontations, verbal assaults and teacher consultations. There were also those who just had fun taunting you because that was the only power tool they had – the power of intimidation.
Of course, we are older now. We work until we retire. We pay bills. And we vote. Kind of sad if you ask me that listening to the politicians reminds me so much of listening to a bunch of immature kids. Guess some people never learn … and these are the best we have to offer to send to Washington?
One of these days “The Reaper” is going to hand in his final report to Someone higher. Let’s hope that we used enough of what we already knew.
THE GRIMM REAPER REPORT © 21OCT2008
http://the-grimm-reaper-report.blogspot.com/