Twenty things every 20-something needs to hear. It seems as if not a day goes by where I don’t see some variant of that headline being posted or reposted on the Internet. If I could only list one thing that a 20-something needs to stop doing, it would be binding themselves to these arbitrary lists.
These lists get under my skin for a variety of reasons. For starters, at this point none are original. They are repetitions of the same idea but with slight variation in execution or content. With the vast numbers of articles and posts, it’s likely that every possible variation or opinion, even which GIFs are used to aid the lazy reader, have already been done. As a collective, there is no originality.
While there is no originality in these posts, there is certainly originality in the lives of 20-somethings. If I were to poll my friends ranging from early to late 20s, even reducing my scope strictly to people my age, everyone would yield a different result on their lifestyle, their hopes and dreams, what they value, even what TV show they like. Sure, similarities will arise among my friends who are married. My friends who are still in school might have more in common than my friends who are working. But even among like-minded groups there are notable differences. No one “20 things” list is applicable for all.
Also, who are the authors of these tomes? Are they Pultizer prize-winning authors? Are they well-traveled, well-versed individuals who have endured and overcome great adversity? Are they C students writing while binge-watching Bravo? What gives these authors any credibility or bearing to write advice? As someone who has written well over 70 columns for The Daily Mississippian, I can attest that writing is not that difficult. Truthfully, anyone can do it. Writing an article to post on the Internet without the oversight of an editor or other form of publication review is even easier. I’ve come across lists that can barely string sentences together to communicate a cohesive thought, and yet they get reposted.
I could go on highlighting my disdain for these lists, but for the sake of not mimicking their ramblings, I will digress. You don’t need someone, likely lacking in any authority, to tell you 20 things that people your age should be doing. As Dr. Seuss wrote in “Oh the Places You’ll Go!,” “you’ve got a brain in your head and feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” And, my friends, those are likely the only tools you truly need to navigate this territory of 20-something.
Anna Rush is a law student from Hattiesburg. She graduated from Mississippi State in 2011.
