The Real World

I remember back then people would say that college was the happiest time of your life and that it would be an unforgettable 4 years that you will always remember.  I’m not here to support nor dispute that claim, it was just a popular saying back in the day.

I also remember back then when people would say how college prepares you for the “real world”, as in the world where you become an adult and live for yourself and get a job and everything else that society tells you to do.

Back then, I just kind of listened to this advice without any type of questioning or thought process.  But now that I think of it, what exactly did they mean by entering the “real world”.  Aren’t you already in the real world from start to finish?  The last time I checked, college is a part of the real world.  It’s just an institution where you train for the future, and a place where you hone your knowledge and broaden your network.

This concept of entering the real world is not just prevalent in college.  I remember how hospital stays had a similar emphasis.  Like you are there to rest, recover, recuperate, and then enter back into the community, as if the hospital wasn’t a part of the broader community in itself.

Even Toastmasters clubs had similar messaging as well about how these clubs are kind of like places to experiment with and develop your communication skills, so that when you enter the “real world”, you will be better prepared and more capable than you were before.  Like there is some sort of separation between Toastmasters and the actual world where you live real life.

The metaphors can go on for many different examples as well.  But there’s a sense in society of separating one thing from another.  Separating college from “the real world”, separating a hospital stay from “returning to the community”, separating a Toastmasters club environment from the “real world” again. 

But I feel like in reality, everything is a part of one, everything is already the real world.  When you’re in college, you’re not really living in a separate bubble walled off from the rest of the world.  You can still buy groceries, you can still communicate with your loved ones, and you can still travel and have fun the way anybody can in most phases of life. 

I guess I am nitpicking about this idea of training for the next big thing.  As if the thing you’re doing right here and now isn’t enough and that you have to prepare for a bigger extravaganza some time down the road that is the “real” thing.  Like how doing Toastmasters prepares you for the right time when you have to give a speech in front of a crowd.  Or how recuperating at the local hospital or the rehab center prepares you for the time when you have to actually go out and live in the real world.  Or how attending college is just a stepping stone for you to get a job and then live your “real” life.

It makes it feel like life is just a non-stop ladder climb to the next big thing and that what you’re currently doing in the here and now is not the most important thing and how there is always one big thing waiting around the corner that will actually make your life fulfilling.

There’s inherently nothing wrong with that as setting high standards is what makes progress in humanity possible.  However, the here and now is all that we have as well, and we should learn to cherish it and embrace it.  The real world is right here as I am writing out these words and these sentences.  The real world is sitting right here at the computer screen writing out my blog entry for me to eventually post. 

The “real” world for me isn’t the time when I post this blog for the world to see.  The real world is right here, right now, in the present moment.  Similar to how the real world for college students is right there in college.  The real world for a Toastmaster member is in their club engagement and attendance.  And the real world for a hospital patient is their stay in the hospital. 

Again, there’s nothing wrong with pursuing the now in order to lock in a better chance of a better life sometime down the road.  People pursue education all the time so that they can lock in a higher income, have better dating prospects, and have a better sense of status – all things that they plan to have in the future, not the now. 

It’s just that there should be a sense of balance as well.  Yes, we should teach our kids that college is a good place to enhance your skills to prepare for the next phase of your life in terms of getting a full-time job and going into the workforce and building a family.  But college in itself is real enough already and the perfect place to build friendships, build memories, and enhance your skill set all at the same time.

So, whatever you think of as the “real world” is really up to you.  I just feel like everything is real enough as it is and that sometimes we just need to take a step back and appreciate what we have already in the here and now.