Quarter Life Crisis

I would like to preface this post by saying that if you are looking for a well-thoughtout and appropriately referenced personal essay then this is not the place for you. Whenever I write more personal pieces like this that aren't through the medium of poetry it is because of an overwhelming emotion that I cannot get rid of until I release it to the page. Today's overwhelming emotion was caused probably by a mixture of hormones, nostalgia and caffeine but alas the cause is not the focus of this post so let's begin.

I have currently been twenty-five for just over 3 months and what a ride it's been so far. People often talk about how twenty-five is the year when your brain is fully developed and often times people with timelines have a goal set for being twenty-five. I have never been one for having a timeline for my life so that has not played into my quarter life crisis. My quarter life crisis so far has been all about identity, the dreaded question of: 'who am I?' A question that I have pondered for many years. I should note that I have always been a curious person and was very much the 'why?'/'what if?' child growing up. The thing that I have began to realise at the age of twenty five is that there is no finite answer to that question. You can think of identity in a way as similar to happiness, as they are both journeys not destinations. I think growing up I always believed that one day I would wake up and all of a suddent have the answer to the dreaded 'who am I?' question.

You cannot possible define your entire identity in a mere sentence or in a finite moment as identity is always shifting, growing and changing. Who you were yesterday is not necessarily who you are today and probably won't be who you are tomorrow. I hear you ask the question 'so what?', and to be honest that's a pretty damn good question. However, I believe the answer is in a world where we are constantly ask to define ourselves and often 'sell ourselves' how on earth do you propose we do that when we are always shifting and adjusting. The prospect of identity being infinte is both intimidating and liberating. Particularly for those that live in a miniority there is such a movement in society to box you in to your sterotype and your label. I simply ask the question: What would happen if we all realised that there is no answer to the question 'who am I?' as it won't stay the same long enough for you to pindown.

I am not entirely sure that any of this made sense but it did feel incredibly liberating to get it on the page and allow my mind to consider what it means to have an identity. So, on that note thank you for reading my ramblings! Until next time.

K.