Read This When The World Makes You Feel Rushed To Grow Up

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“Grow up.”

We all heard those words before, some more than others.

In an email exchange with my older sister, we discussed Peter Pan.

“I wish I had time to write again because I miss it,” she wrote. “I have all these ideas but never get to put them on paper. Last month, before you told me about this story you were writing. I was watching Pan and I realize why I like Peter Pan so much. As an adult, you don’t want to grow up and have to face the hardships of life and, well, I wish something magical could happen like that in my life.

It was nostalgia to be young and careless again. I ended up having an idea for a modern-day Pan story. I found myself doing research and everything to back up my idea and I really like it and want to write it.

There are tons of really interesting takes on the Peter Pan story and now I understand why. It’s hard being an adult.”

It made me sad reading that because while growing up, she was always seen writing. In reply I wrote:

“I understand what you mean. Adult life forces you to grow up and in that process, all your imagination goes away. You forget how to be a kid, sometimes you forget what it was like being a kid. It’s like the story The Little Prince.

I really would like to read your idea of Pan.

I hope you find the chance to start writing again, I would hate for all that imagination to go to waste.”

What made me sad throughout this exchange was the fact that we are both only in our twenties. She, 27, and I only, 23. We both feel drained and older than we really are. I remember her always laughing and smiling but through the course of her life and the struggles of being an adult, she lost her smile and glow.

I am not that far behind.

We live in a world where we are forced to abandon both our imagination and beliefs for a well-paying job and a place in society. Because of our fear of rejection and loneliness, we fall into step with what he/she says and agreeing on/going along whether it goes against our better judgment.

Because we have abandoned the ability to think for ourselves and stay true to ourselves, we have lost touch with ourselves.

We have forgotten who we are.

Because we have been told to “grow up,” we have forgotten who we were at five, eight and ten years old.

In regards to your childhood, I figured it’ll be appropriate to quote none other than Peter Pan himself: “Never say goodbye, because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting.”