What attracts the youth more these days than fancy colleges and fine life? Hits a nerve right? In totality it’s not true but has become the fake reality to the symbolism of fake socialising.
I am a college student and as a keen observer it’s often my habit to catch the sight of people trying to fit in the places they weren’t welcomed before. And in the process of doing so, they adapt a life which isn’t their reality!
So, when I first started going to my college after the pandemic phase got over, I was pretty excited to be a part of it completely. I even went off to college a bit early to enjoy my college era with all of my friends. At first, everything seemed pretty welcoming but when I started noticing things with a sharp eye: I saw all the fake-ism to the mere reality my batchmates were trying to show off! But how did I realise this? I started realising it after they started making extravaganza plans to chill by spending thousands and thousands and then there I was, a girl who was studying under the scholarship, who lost her father in the COVID pandemic and the girl whose mother is staying at home and struggling every bit to make her children stand in the crowd by cutting her own stomach and so, that girl couldn’t stand with the crowd who cut her off because she was not their match. Still, she tried to mix with them but in reality, she did not want to be a part of it because if money was the factor of getting an up-stat then, she wanted to be at complete border. But it got her thinking about something! What? Let’s talk what!
What is the first thing a student thinks about before getting enrolled in a college? Studies? No. Co-curricular? Maybe. Friends? Yes! And these days college life is equal to friends. If you don’t have made friends, then your life is going to be dull (sarcastically speaking). But is it so? Definitely not! People don’t define what your future’ is going to look like but surely, they can provide you with some memoirs. So, how students are making friends these days? Let’s have a peek-a-boo!
Basically, this human culture has shaped itself to look like, the “SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” and it is said to favour the courageous, the exceedingly successful, the wealthy, the perfectionists, the attractive, the haughty, etc.
In this culture, you are labelled as a “WEAKLING” if you are kind, impoverished, have average appearances, or aren’t even successful in life. These people are ultimately the ones that get cast aside! So, in order to ignore this reality students often put on the “MASK” and resolve to ‘Fake It’ in order to ‘fit in’ with this culture!
And how do they attempt to fit in?
1) Money – I could purchase only name-brand products because nobody ever notices the inexpensive ones! All of this is done to raise one’s “STATUS” in society.
2) Physique/ Muscles – My muscles convey that, despite my personality or mental strength, I’m massive and scary.
3) Make-up – Because people prefer those with appealing features and pale skin tones, makeup is used to cover up facial flaws. Because again, duh! It attracts everyone’s attention.
4) The humble individual is compelled to display haughtiness.
5) An enormous smile on the outside, but an unending sadness within!
Are all the reasons true? Yes! It has become the face of the life of students these days. Let me narrate a story, indeed a real one in order to justify the points I just mentioned above.
A boy named Aman (name has been chosen anonymously) of my college used to be everyone’s favourite and was loved by everyone due to his friendly nature (which was just a fake mask he has put on to get everyone’s attention). As I belong to the COVID batch, one and a half year of our college life happened digitally but after the digital period ended, the real battleground entered his life. The battleground for him was to be in everyone’s good book and how he achieved that is the real question here. Once the classes started running on a physical mode, he started inviting our batchmates to party and get high. He never let anyone pay for anything if they are with him. Due to this, everyone started hanging out with him, started speaking good stuffs about his personality. He was a good student but was not prepared mentally how to enjoy a college life without the embellished pearls.
He belonged to a middle-class family with good and supportive parents who were proud of his knowledge and personality but what they were unaware about was his son was getting in debt just to keep up his social life in college. Yes! Debt! The boy was huge in debt because he was borrowing money from here and there. Soon enough the word breached out to the eyes and ears of the college walls when he started asking for money from our batchmates. At this point everyone knew his reality and debt over him was not in thousands but lacs. This made him furious to the point where he started drinking on others money, started coming to the classes drunk and eventually became an alcoholic. Teachers got worried about his health and well-being that they had reach out to his parents and they supported him with their every bit. His mother sold out her gold jewellery just to pay off her son’s debt. He doesn’t come to college on a regular basis anymore because he doesn’t want to answer to any questions if whomsoever get interested ever to ask him any question.
What it taught me?
1) First things first, it retarded his mental health and wealth. None forced him to put on a fake life, but he did which broke him from every corner.
2) Secondly, what was the need of it in the first place itself? Why can’t he be a normal student? Why all of that was necessary just to fit in somewhere?
3) Thirdly, it’s a real issue! Which isn’t getting enough acknowledgement. Why student or children are so keen to adopt a life which is based on a total hoax?
Conclusion
If you genuinely choose to be false, you will achieve 100% results quickly, making you appear to be that Pizza in everyone’s eyes! No matter how much success you have, you’ll never feel satisfied since you’re only pretending to fit in.
Instead of blaming individuals, criticise the culture or the environment in which we live. No one is flawless from birth, and everyone has weaknesses and imperfections. Accepting everything as it is all that is necessary! The embellished reality which we are witnessing is indeed the reality of some people but if one doesn’t have it then why they feel the urge to show it off?