Welcome to the Real World

How unbelievable it is in the year 2009 to still hear the phrase “welcome to real world” impertinently used, as we boast of our multicultural embrace. Is it just me that sees this as the biggest contradiction mankind has ever made?

Not only this, but how patronising to be so dismissive of another way. The very fact there is the term ‘multicultural’ proves that there are other approaches and the existence of this shows they work just as well as ours.

This dim-witted and frankly ill-educated remark can be applied to almost any scenario, especially if you are someone with a more relaxed disposition on life. Don’t want to work a 9-5 job? Welcome to the real world. Shouldn’t feel you have to forfeit your last luxury to afford your transit ticket? Welcome to the real world. It sounds to me like what they are really saying is “there is no place for a non-conformist.” As astonishing as it is that someone so bitter and jealous could spark up and spread the skill of subjecting this upon the adventurous, I do find it quite disturbing. This real world they’re on about seems full of sacrifice and settling.

Nowadays it seems as if you need to have a degree to be accepted into this elitist group. Sure, it can be beneficial, but what they fail to tell you is that it depends on what you want to do and what type of person you are. And what if you decide to go backpacking? On your return you are normally “not on the same planet” as everyone else. Yet it is these people exactly that know more about our planet than anyone. And still people believe they have a moral duty to initiate the people “living with the fairies” back into the ‘real world’, completely ignoring that maybe your new found hobby of ecology is because you actually care .

I have even generously considered that maybe I am wrong, and that in fact this theory regarding life will provide you with utmost prosperity and a life full of wondrous guarantees. But so far, no luck. And it’s not much fun either.

So, to all you people that impose your pessimism unto the air of innocence, I have news for you. Yes, there is one ‘real world’. But there is an amazing amount of ways to live it.