This I Believe Script

Be more like a five year-old

I hesitate… I overthink… I stutter… I wish I were more like my five year-old self. With growing up comes an increase in freedom, accompanied with more restrictions. One becomes more independent and makes his own decisions, but social expectations are increased. Think about it… it is socially unacceptable for a college aged person to have a public breakdown over their favorite pizza being sold out. In comparison, a five year-old crying hysterically when his mom refuses to give him pizza is considered normal.

As adults, we are supposed to keep our emotions mainly to ourselves. We are not completely free to say what is truly on our minds. These limitations unfortunately can be detrimental to people; especially people with ongoing inner struggles. Always keeping your emotions to yourself can literally kill you. So why are we trained to keep them hidden, and why should we continue to accept this? Of course, sharing everything that is on our minds, like some children do, would not be optimal. But being a little impulsive at times and not always having a filter could help us be more honest and genuine.

I feel that somewhere around the beginning of my teenage years is when I lost a sense of genuineness. Throughout high school, I studied subjects that I had no interest in learning about. Yet, I kept doing my homework diligently in order to get good grades, as that was what was expected of me. That worked for a while. It kept me ‘on track’, as they say. However, in college, we are supposed to pick a major that we have a passion for. No wonder most of us have no idea what our true passions are.

You may think I am just some lazy college student wishing she could rid herself of all her responsibilities and go back to being a child. While that is something I think about when I am studying for an exam at 2 am, wishing I could time travel some 10 years in the past, I believe that we can learn a lot from the blunt and free spirited toddlers… If you find yourself connecting with someone, spend more time with them and tell them you enjoy their company. If you do not agree with someone’s opinion, do not be afraid to politely disagree and express your thoughts. And most importantly, if you want to achieve something, be a little selfish and go for it. It is a good thing to think about yourself once in a while.

One thought on “This I Believe Script”

  1. I really love this topic. You wrote this very thoughtfully, and I felt your genuine belief in the subject as I read the script. I think this topic is really relatable, but you did not make is cliche. You added personal aspects, and emotions that made me feel your true belief in the topic.
    I think growing up, for me, and a lot of people is challenging; I to sometimes want those moments of childhood back, I miss the simplicity of it. I think when you deliver it on the podcast, if you generate a genuine and meaningful tone it will really shine through, and be a great piece. I am looking forward to hearing it.

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