Stress is the feeling we have when under pressure. We have all encountered it. It is a horrendous feeling.
As I turned on the radio, a song called Stressed Out was playing. I immediately was able to relate to this song. It talks about how different life was than as an adult. The song is an effort to validate the nostalgia of an easier and simpler life. The chorus sings: "Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol' days, When our momma sang us to sleep but now we're stressed out."
When we were children, life was not that difficult. Our parents guided us in every direction, and we did not have many personal responsibilities. School was also much simpler. I remember preschool was mostly about playing and socializing. There was no homework load.
One of the next verses contains the lines, "We used to play pretend, give each other different names, We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away,
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face,
Saying, "Wake up, you need to make money."
There is a huge juxtaposition between the childhood games we used to play and the responsibilities of adulthood, especially having to make money in order to support ourselves. We are given much more responsibilities as we age and this is the pressure the song is talking about. School is no longer about playing and the homework load is much larger than it was before. For me the phrase "wake up you need to make money" could be replaced with either "wake up you got homework to do" or wakeup "you need to be at school by 7 AM."
I agree with my teacher Mr. Maxwell who said that my generation faces more stress than any of those that preceded mine. I feel that there is stress all around me as well as the self-induced stress I create in myself. An increasing number of students are stressing about the grades they receive. Why? Well, they are so concerned about whether and which colleges will accept them. Why are they so concerned about the colleges they go to? They believe they have to get into a prestigious college in order to get a good job and do well in life.
In our current society, stress is an immense problem. A never ending vicious circle is created. Once you get into college, then there is the stress of doing well there. When you graduate, then there is the question of what job you will get. Once you get that great job, then the question of how much you will make arises. That is followed by the desire for promotions and raises. Stress just never ends. Who knows maybe it is stress that helps perpetuate American capitalistic dominance.
Link for the lyrics below:
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/twentyonepilots/stressedout.html
I really like this post, I agree with a lot of the points you are making about the ideas in this song. I like that you connect your personal ideas about being stressed out, as well as talking about things we did in class with Mr.Maxwell and how we discussed how much more our generation today is much more stressed by things then in the generation before us. Great work, I'm very interested to listening to this song now and seeing how i can relate or how it might make me feel as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well. In our current society, teens especially, deal with the pressures of meeting the numerous amounts of expectations that are set by parents, peers and even society. Today, teenagers have to deal with far more responsibilities such as maintaining good grades, completing chores and even watching over siblings. There are only so many activities that one can succeed at. However, we often feel obligated to fulfill these expectations when in reality, we simply cannot complete every task at hand.Thus leading to high stress. I agree with you and Mr. Maxwell in how our generation is far more exposed to stress that previous generations. Sometimes everyone just needs to take a break.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this post, especially considering I just came off four hours sleep because I was doing homework that I failed to get finished earlier. With that being said, I think it's important to note what is causing so much stress for me and undoubtedly many other teens going through the same issue. It's distractions. All the distractions around us, i.e. social media, texting, and T.V., aid to the stress, because we get so caught up in them that we lose sight of what's more important. All of this goes not to mention extracurricular activities, which also do their fair share of adding to the stress. Excellent job Danny, I look forward to reading more posts as interesting as this one.
ReplyDeleteIts correct that almost every person has gone through stress. But difference comes on tackling the problem. I tried to be close with my family and discuss the issue with them and that really worked out.
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