Confused at a young age

The mid-life crisis, where a person turning 50 instinctively finds the need to review his or her life, is an age-old concept.

And rightly so — after actively seeing the harsh realities of the world for so many years, it might be a good time to rethink the way they have been approaching things. Some find solace in spirituality; others come to terms with their nearing retirement.

But a new type of evaluation period has arrived in the lives of some youngsters today — the ‘quarter-life crisis’. Questions on chosen career paths, relationships, marriage prospects and other elements of the past, present and future crop up, after which concrete answers and solutions are sought.

“My friends call me a worrier because there’s always something I have to do, be it at home or work. But that’s who I am and have always been.

 It’s a basic principle — if I’m employed by a company based on merit, I want to deliver the work I’m being paid for. However, at this juncture in life, I’m thinking of taking it easy.
It’s too burdensome being a perfectionist all the time,” confesses Meghana K, a young professional.

For some, the crisis happens to be an existential one, where they start pondering over philosophical matters like the purpose of life and who they really are. “I’m confused — there are so many different ‘me’. There’s the one I am expected to be, the one who I want to be and the one I should be,” notes Divya Kamath, adding a profound statement: ‘life is a wonderful lie’.

There are also a few who are beginning to get premature signs of an oncoming quarter-life crisis. At the age of 22, Bharat Prabhakar, a student, is trying to make sense of his life.

“I’m about to finish my college this year and I have no clue what I want to do in life.
Does money buy me my freedom or do I let my passion rule? Is my education absolutely redundant if I choose to opt out and become a film-maker instead? What do my parents expect from me? How consequential are my actions in the larger scheme of things?

I want to make sure that I measure each and every step of mine. By the time I apply for a job, I should have a textbook resume. But then, do I simply wish to be a job-seeker?” he questions.

“I can find solace in the fact that there is three-quarter of life yet left to find answers to all that. But that is essentially the paradox of life — you only find out how to do something perfectly after doing it,” concludes Bharat.