It is a simple question that has become surprisingly heavy. We're living in a time where the answers seem to change before we can even finish typing them. What is real? What is acceptable? What is privacy?
I’m currently completing my final semester at Jackson State; the closer I get to graduation in May, the more these questions seem to follow me around campus. I’m preparing for a career in analytics, so I’m naturally drawn to things that can be measured, tracked, and proven. However, the most important parts of life don't always show up on a clean dashboard. We spend so much time scrolling through the curated highlights of everyone else's lives that we sometimes forget how to measure our own progress without a filter. It is easy to feel like we are falling behind a benchmark that does not actually exist.
What is meaningful? What is worth it?
We have lost the grapple on reality in many ways. We have had to acquire new skillsets encompassing adaptability just to stay relevant; it feels like we are constantly recalibrating. We're trying to find a solid footing on ground that won't stop shifting. For me, that means balancing the technical side of my degree with the very human side of just trying to figure out who I am outside of a classroom. It’s a bit of a balancing act, isn't it? We are told to be prepared for everything, but no one tells us how to handle the silence when the plan changes.
What is your foundation? What is your truth? What is your plan?
I’m learning that having a plan is important, but having a sense of self is even more vital. We're standing at a crossroads where the old rules don't quite apply anymore. There is a certain kind of freedom in that uncertainty. If nothing is set in stone, we get to decide what we're going to build. I’m ready to see what that looks like, even if I don’t have all the exact details yet.