A Mid-Twenties Perspective

This morning my roommate and I were discussing what happens to people in their mid-twenties. He argued that at that point in life, just a hop skip and a jump away from undergraduate school, people have three main pathways to take. This can be avoided by immediate entry to graduate school. Forget being real. The academic bubble will be there. For the rest, they will find a job and succumb to one of the following:

1. Get immersed in a relationship or die tryin'. People in this category might get married, or just act like they are. Rarely seen without the other half present.

2. Pick up a hobby to do in your spare time, often thrill-seeking or somewhat dangerous. Frequently seen in digital photos from Mount Everest on facebook.

3. Go to work, come home, watch TV, sleep, repeat. This is a disappointing life with The Abyss.

Even the protagonist from The Graduate follows this pattern. The main character goes through an interesting character arc combining all three pathways! What a guy! I'll break it down for you. In the beginning of the classic film, Benjamin Braddock played by a bizarrely young Dustin Hoffman (c'mon, I was born in '89 and he is famous in my generation for Meet The Fockers - mostly) is stuck giving Mrs. Robinson, a guest from his graduation party a ride home. Naturally, she drops trow and seduces the poor young man. Frightened, he runs away.

At this point in the film he is experiencing The Abyss, he just graduated and has no direction to go in life. Benjamin realizes this and turns to another mid-twenties option. He becomes a thrill-seeking hobbyist! Sleeping with Mrs. Robinson is exciting and new! Conversations are somewhat lacking with Mrs. Robinson, but Hey! people don't go bungee jumping to see the world upside down, right? It's not like he wants to immerse himself in a relationshi- oh, wait...

Turns out, he goes on a date reluctantly with no one other than Mrs. Robinson's daughter, Elaine. Things start out rocky, not many first dates include strippers with tassles... but turns out he really likes her. Hello, character arc! The rest of the film follows his desperate attempt to woo his mistress's daughter and hilarity ensues. Despite not having a relationship with her he's definitely immersed in thoughts of Elaine.

I felt some relief knowing that I have another two years to avoid the despair of the mid-twenties, but two years are going to go quickly. Currently, my main goal after grad school is to not end up in the suburbs or upstate New York where I think the abyss factor is much higher. There is no novelty in the suburbs, the abyss seems to be the only option. The combination of cookie cutter house shapes, the perfectly manicured grass and the picket fences is worse than the feeling you get when peering over the edge of a mountainous cliff.