Expectations

Expectation: What a fickle term. Isn’t it interesting that it fluctuates so much? What once was a sign of great achievement can quickly become a general requirement. What once was considered less than necessary can rise to the same status.

For example: Someone who went to college in the 1920s was a rare gem. Those individuals were guaranteed an elite place in the world simply because of their status as a graduate. Now the act of becoming a college graduate guarantees nothing: It isn’t rare to meet a college-going individual, and those without considerable achievement and a hefty resumes while attending have slim chances of rising past mediocrity in the workplace.

Another classic example is simply the independence factor in the US. Nowadays, at 18, you are expected to start providing for yourself. Coming home in between your hard times for a little help is of course found widely acceptable, but once you begin approaching age 25 and above, going home for too much is considered “freeloading” or “slothful.” In other words, it’s looked down upon. Then there's the idea of marriage (and yes I'm aware that Mormon culture is HIGHLY unusual compared to everywhere else including it's homeland, the USA, so I'm glimpsing beyond just our own culture and making a generalization). Getting married is a fact of life. It's the norm. At a certain point, getting married and having a family is a general rule: you've got to do it sometime. It's a defined stage in every American's life which explains why tying the knot/finding a stable, long-lasting relationship is the source of just about every movie ever made over here.  Look at other places though: In Korea, you’re not even supposed to start thinking about marriage until your 30+. In addition, You’re never really emancipated from your family: you’re expected to stay near your families and help to continue the family legacy and provide honor and prestige for your family name. That's only one example of a culture that moves a little slower- I could name off probably a million more just like that.

Do we move too fast? Are our expectations exceeding the necessary levels? I don’t really know- a lot of the changes that come with time and the differences between the US and other places don’t really bother me. In fact, I embrace most of them. But some of them I fear are growing faster than we can follow.

So what will mounting expectations lead to in the future? Good things? Bad things? Only time will tell right?