As kids growing up our parents, church members, coaches, and teachers were obsessed with the idea of our futures. This fact is obvious to me because they always asked us the same questions. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" or "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" they would ask. How were we supposed to know what we wanted for ourselves at such a young age? So naturally we would answer them with glorified occupations we had seen on TV such as: astronauts, dancers, the President, or Chuck Norris (which seemed to be my brothers favorite response). In actuality though, we had no clue what reality had in store for us or what our futures held.
What is it, you may ask, that made our parents and elders so consumed in the concept of our undetermined future? It's the simple fact that everyone loves a blank canvas, a fresh start. They would interrogate us on our plans for the years to come in a search of hope for the future generation. Our parents live through us with every intention of giving us the opportunities to reach the dreams that sadly some of them never got to chase. Whether it's giving us the wedding they always craved or preparing us for the career they never aspired to, they just want better for us.
Yes, some of us will become astronauts, dancers, Presidents, or (with today's technology) maybe there is even a Chuck Norris out there; but unfortunately, the majority of us will become bank tellers, waitresses, accountants, or a number of other unspectacularly labeled workers that we, when getting asked all these questions, didn't even know existed much less what they really were. At which time we will begin to ask our children the same questions we were asked, in an effort to try and push them to better their futures; just as our parents did for us. So tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?
