As you explore the world and the vast amount of differing cultures, you will come to find that although we are all very different- unique in every way- we are also all the same. Now, this may seem like a contradiction in and of itself, but distinguished specifics, or the particular, do not change the universal that is applicable everywhere. Take for example a smile; all across the world a smile symbolizes happiness, it’s the universal that is inevitably programmed into all human beings. But, while a smile may symbolize happiness, the reason for a smile may differ greatly. Humor is a particular, or a distinguished specific, because your sense of humor depends on how you were raised- meaning, what you’ve come to know as “socially acceptable” in your culture. As a young child, we learn the basics of how our society functions, but we truly start to take on fundamental roles in our culture just about after we’ve hit puberty- that joyous time when our personalities start to take their form and become established. Although, in general, being a teenager is practically the same all around the world- raging hormones and essentially “figuring out” what you’re supposed to do in life- there are hundreds of minute details attached to different culture’s teenage experiences such as: rebellion, relationships, freedoms, and responsibilities, which all are vital stepping stones to building up to one’s own independence and establishing their uniqueness; the crucial contradiction that allows us to function as individual wholes. Oh the joys of being a teenager.
As a child almost everyone looks forward to becoming a teen. From a child’s point of view, it almost seems magical to be able to date and drive, and it always seems like teenagers are having endless fun. Boy, do I sure wish that I had read the fine print before I had romanticized becoming a teenager as a child. Mortified at my changing body and outrageous mood swings, I at first questioned if something was just terribly wrong with me, but I was soon put at ease as I came to find that crazy hormones and zits were just part of the package. Sometimes we (teenagers) can be happy for no apparent reason at all, but sometimes we can become VERY irritable and just one tiny thing can set us off. This is why it is considered inevitable that teenagers will fight with their parents, because they are always there telling us what NOT to do. Although it is different for everyone, I think that just about every person in-between the ages of 13-18 will agree with me that no one can tell us what to do or who to be, and that defiance seems to always be there whether we like it or not. Rebelling, or “sticking it to the man”- to be unique and to be different- is just so… liberating. But, for every different culture the ways to rebel will vary because rebelling is essentially going against what is “socially acceptable”, and what is socially acceptable varies in the different cultures.
Raging hormones doesn’t just mean the endless mood swings, oh no; soon after the hormones start raging, the opposite gender becomes… attractive! It seems as if they lose all of their “ickyness” and suddenly you develop your first crush, how sweet and innocent. But as everyone gets older, there becomes more of a want for a substantial relationship- preferably like the perfect ones in the movies. In Utah, the usual age to start dating is about 16, because Utah’s population is highly influenced by the L.D.S. church which advises against dating at a young age; whereas in other states such as New York, a lot of the time you are in your pre-teens when you have your first “substantial relationship”. Once again this all just boils down to what is socially acceptable, which even varies from state to state within a country.
The thing that children most look forward to in their teenage years is freedom- not only being able to make your own choices and be who you want to be, but to actually be free. Cars are those magnificent machines that help you to quickly, and efficiently, get from point A to point B, and becoming a teenager entails the right to be able to legally operate one of these brilliant inventions. But, this type of freedom literally depends on the geography. For instance, it is more likely that you’ll be driving a car when things are, metaphorically, more spacious. By “more spacious”, I mean that things (towns and places) are farther apart from each other and it is obviously more efficient and much quicker to have the aid of a machine. So in more rural areas it is much more likely that this type of freedom will be applied, because it’s not necessarily logical to be driving a vehicle in an already crowded place where it would be much easier, more efficient, and much faster to travel either by foot or public transportation. In urban cities it seems as if everything is within reach because everything is so jam packed together; whereas in rural cities there are still a lot of spaces that are waiting to be filled. Now, when it’s harder to go somewhere it’s most likely that you won’t really go there, and vice versa, which is another way freedoms in different cultures vary greatly. Most of the time, it honestly just depends on the geography, speaking specifically about rural and urban cities. You will notice that a lot of the time adolescents in urban cities will be given more freedoms such as later curfew or to be able to go out on their own a lot earlier than adolescents in rural cities, which is probably because everything is just so close and over time it just becomes what is “socially acceptable”, meaning if it is easier to do than that’s how it is done. This is shown by how more freedom is given when someone turns 16 in Utah, because that’s when they can get a job and start driving to get around, but in New York more freedom is given when someone turns about 13 because they can get around much easier by public transit or just good old fashioned walking- which doesn’t require an age limit.
George Shaw once said, “We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but the responsibility of our future.” But when is it exactly that we become responsible for our future? What we choose as our career will ultimately shape how the rest of our life is, and the crucial years in which most of us make that important decision are known as- gulp- high school. Man, thinking back on elementary school I realize how EASY life was, especially compared to children in Japan and other similar places who are taking high school level classes by the time they’re in 2nd grade! It is obvious that with more freedom, there comes more responsibilities, and I personally feel that it’s safe to say that most of the specifics for the universal understanding of “responsibility” are practically the same- taking advantage of your education (high school and college), finding a job, new tasks around the house, etc. And all of this leads up to essentially choosing a role in that person’s particular society. Responsibility is inevitable, but is something that everyone must take on in order for a culture to subsist.
No matter where you go around the world a smile is a symbol of happiness, but the reason for that happiness varies on the different types of humor, which is influenced by the culture itself, showing that although the particular may be different, the universal is the same. Just like being a teenager, although the distinguished particulars in cultures may vary, the universal is the same. Every teenager is just building up to total independence by having new learning experiences through raging hormones, having relationships, earning more freedom and more responsibilities and so much more. Every person is unique, and by establishing that uniqueness, independence is also established, but by functioning as an individual, society is allowed to function as a whole.
