I’m heading out to New Jersey today to interview Richie Kohler for a piece about deep sea diving, so I’ll probably be gone for most of the day. Suck it up.
But I leave you with this topic of discussion, should you choose to accept it: Someone I know recently commented that he’d been thinking about his younger, teenage self and what that kid would think of the man he’d turned into today. He thought his younger self would be pretty happy with his grown-up self, which prompted a nice sense of self-satisfaction and euphoria.
Charming, but of course the inverse applies, full of loathing and sick sweats. If you met a younger, more ideological version of yourself today, would young you be proud of what you’ve grown up to be?
I’d say that I’m already doing more and less than I’d expected out of life. I thought I wanted to be rich, and while I’m not anywhere near it, I’ve come to realize that money is only really important as fuel for freedom—I don’t know if Younger Me would have bought that. And I hadn’t anticipated being a writer at all, but I think I would have been okay with it, after I got done punching myself in the balls and calling myself a fag.
Hm. I’m still not that far removed from my younger more idealistic self. Let’s call it 5-6 years.
I’m now a year into a job where everyone (peers, clients, teammates) is motivated by the accumulation of vast amounts of money. There are also a few who either 1) have enough cash, or 2) have deluded themselves into thinking they’re “not in it for the money.” The latter are motivated by “competition” or “the chase” and the former just haven’t realized they don’t need to work anymore.
My teen self wanted to be an entrepreneur - work at a start-up and retire at age 30 (Hey, I grew up in the late 90’s, ok?). I never wanted to have a boss (that didn’t work out) and I wanted to work in a small business environment that would be nimble and unencumbered by bureaucracy (again, didn’t happen).
Despite this, I think that, career-wise, my teen self would still be pretty impressed. I would say that more than anything he would be upset that he would end up turning into a real asshole and lose all the romantic in him. Same basic ideals, though, just a different way of executing them, if that makes sense.
All in all, I think he’d give himself a B+
I don’t really care what my teen self would think of where I am in live right now, because, seriously, my teen self was a horrible prick. Fuck that guy.
Yeah, I’m with Greg. Teen-me would probably not like adult-me at all, but she was pretty much a self-centered, naive little cunt, so her opinion isn’t of great value to me.
To quote the movie SLC Punk!: “You see life is like that. We change, that’s all. You see, the guy I am now is not the guy I was then. If the guy I was then met the guy I am now he’d beat the shit out of me. Those are the facts.”
Teen Me would so love Current Me.
When I was a young’un I wanted to be a writer - and I now am! Granted it’s tech writing and not comics, but still…
Teen Me moved from the serenity of Midwood, Brooklyn to the ruff-n-tumble Coney Island streets and I always wanted to return - and I have!
Teen Me would be disappointed that I’m not pulling in a couple hundred grand a year, but fuck him on that. He doesn’t know the real world.
And he would be so happy to know that I can get laid at a drop of a hat. Teen Me was a deprived hornball.
wait ..tec’s a chick?
Teen me would be very sad to see I left Manhattan for Staten Island, but impressed at how much more I get laid than he does (and will for several years).
I used alcohol to kill self-righteous teen me.
To be honest I’m not that removed from my Teenage Self simply because I hated being a teenager and a I still feel more distain than anything for the vast majority of adolescents. Teenagers are mean little bastards whose brains haven’t fully formed yet and I truly hated being around my peers at that point in life. Me and my Teenage Self would tell anyone else not happy with where I am to go suck on it ’til it rots and they can taste the gangrene.
Yes, thaddeus, I’m a chick - superiority complex, maddening hormones, vagina and all… but I’m a raging homo, so I can see how one might be confused.
thaddeus i went “wtf tecs a chick” then went find her comment to see if i could tell.
i’m glad someone else had the same thought.
i’m only 21 so i dont think i can think about it yet.
Teen me would have been sorely disappointed by the narrow focus of current me, but I certainly wouldn’t trade for the overall level of angsty discontent that I had back then.
I guess we all let the hooks do their work, to various degrees.
Ooo, I was just thinking it was about time to take stock of things - good call, Joel. And since I haven’t appeared on DT in a bit, I’ll be verbose and me-centric. Me, me, me.
Teen me was a major fuckup with lofty intentions. Every time I tried to be cool I’d slip on the proverbial banana peel and land on my face. But, any time that I didn’t care or wasn’t really paying attention to myself, I’d manage to pull something amazing out of the air. Not a lot in that regard has changed. Somehow I’ve moved on nearly 20 years without killing anyone, dying myself, going to jail, or accomplishing much of anything. I’m a ne’er do well, but a blessed one.
I looked for God a lot until I gave up on it, but I guess it was there all the time anyway. Guess I was looking for something else. Magic, maybe. Bibbity bobbity fucking boo; it’s all magic, or none of it is. It’s all God or none of it is.
I tried all the drugs and only one of them ever got on top of me. I went to a lot of college but barely scraped out with a BA. I’ve met rock stars, a serial killer, and a few thousand folks in-between. I indulged every whim, I traveled where I pleased, and stole more than my allotted serving of virtue. I’ve married along the way. I’ve helped raised some kids and buried their mother. I’ve married again since. Minus a scattered fistful of grey hair, I look almost exactly the same as teen me did. Thought I was gay for a while until I gave it a shot and it didn’t take, which was actually kind of a bummer; a queer Alex of any age would make a lot of sense. I’ve loved all I’ve needed love…
Just as I always planned, I live in New York City, am sort of a modern bohemian, semi-artistic, plugged in enough to almost never have to pay admission to this or that party, that or the other club, but I almost never bother to go out. Working in the scene makes the option of staying home sound delightful. I often wanna give up on this shit and move someplace easygoing and warm. That’s an old fart for ya.
Today I’m nothing much more than the sum of my experiences, like anyone else. I’ve had a lot of them. If I die tomorrow, the epitaph will still read, “At least it was never dull.” I may yet amend that to include, “and he made a lot of friends along the way.”
I think that teen me would find that pathetic but kinda charming.
My teen me was a convinced catholic. I am a convinced atheist… I guess his plans for me to become a scientist never worked as he wanted, did not become a scientist and lost faith in the process. I guess teen me would not approve that I’m 34 and still not married, or without children, that I live for paintballing (if it was a cheaper hobby, I’d be a hippy!) that I despise religion or that I’ve moved from the far right political side to a neutral ground… but fuck him.
He would like to be fucked too, he never got too much…
Teen me and today me are pretty similar. I look almost exactly the same, except my boobs are bigger, and I’ve started getting dimples. Career track is the same, but a little behind schedule. I did a bunch of drugs, and they made me a lot nicer and more laid back. I also have a lot more friends now than I did then, or than I ever expected to. I think teenage me’s only disappointments would be that Jack Nicholson isn’t my best friend yet, and that I haven’t made a feature.
to be relevant to the discussion: im not yet a decade removed from my teen years and already i know teen me would be pleased. i found myself. or, rather, i’m much further in that process than i was. i’m eclectic in everything i do and say. i’m finally honing in on what i want to do with my life (writing) and making a plan to get there. i have an amazing chick. i’m self sufficient. i have an amazing group of real friends. i still get to geek out, but be accepted as cool in all circles. i’m not making enough cash to start my open-ended world travels, but im on my way. i remain true to who i am, try new things, learn from my mistakes, and regret nothing. i’m teen me with 6 years experience.
@tec ..not sure why i thought you were a dude other than the fact that this is primarily a dude-centric site and until this thread, i never caught a glimpse of absolute chick in your commentary. your input is great, though now i have a new filter with which to read it all :)
I think the younger, more idealistic me is hardly different than the me now. If anything I’m *more* idealistic now. Just (maybe) less of a dick about it.