“AM I EVEN alive? Is this real, or is life just a virtual reality simulation? What assignments do I need to pass tomorrow? What song should I put on my note? My sleep schedule is so messed up.”
These are just a few of the countless excerpts that happily run around a teenager’s mind while they stare at their pitch-black ceiling at one in the morning. But, are we just too young for the real world, or do we have the potential to be its saviors at such a young age?
Painted with deep eyebags, growing bodies, and a thirst for curiosity, this generation’s pack of adolescents have been stereotyped to be on our phones the whole day, rotting in our beds while we aimlessly scroll through Tiktok, talking and gossiping about boys and makeup, or even swearing while playing Mobile Legends with our friends and shooting hoops at the local barangay gym. But, does this perspective actually sum up all our capabilities through a wordy Facebook post? No, it doesn’t.
These activities that we do, shared in a negative light, are just some of the ways we could give ourselves a break from life, and how we recollect ourselves to face the music of reality. Because lately, we have been pushed to grow up, to learn about mature things, and become adults ourselves. But, what’s hidden behind the red curtain of teenage delinquency is the wooden stage of our achievements and capabilities that we could echo to the world, if only we were given the chance to.
The complex thoughts that traverse our brain’s neurons, our interests about global warming, climate change, poverty, and justice continue to be thrown aside despite our endless calls for our voices to be heard. Countless speeches were held, many articles were written, mountains of videos and posts were made but still nothing seemed to change. Science says that the frontal cortex, responsible for making decisions and planning, fully develops at the age of 25. However, this region of the brain starts to mature during puberty – the exact time when most adults doubt our capabilities for being “too young to understand.”
Yes, we do like to talk about our favorite K-pop groups, smile at the sight of a couple finally holding hands in a TV show that we have been binging on Netflix, and laugh at brainrot memes and cute kittens. But we also like to talk about our faith, our predictions about the future, the government, democracy, and how the truth can easily get silenced by those in power. Our superpowered brains are wired to absorb the most knowledge and learn the most things that open our eyes towards society.
So please listen to our ideas, acknowledge our presence, and make us, the young, the innovators of society; ready to create, invent, and speak out against injustice. And as we wait for that time to come, we will be here, playing games, talking with our friends, watching romantic comedies, and keeping track of our thoughts, and staring at our pitch-black ceilings at one in the morning, clocks whispering a tick-tock as we stand by for the go-signal, the sign that tells us to use our big ideas, readily caged in our small but thoughtful minds./PN
