Quarter Life Crisis?

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I recently heard a song by John Mayer where he says he seems to have done everything, yet feels incomplete, the finishing phrase - 'Maybe it's just a quarter life crisis'. It got me thinking, is there something like this at all? Or in this world where everything seems to be hyped and discussed at length by those who seem to have ample amount of time, is this phrase too just a sham? Well, after some pondering, I'm still not convinced.

Its a little wierd when you think that 45 is mid-life but 25 is quarter life. I mean, shouldn't 22-23 be quarter life in that case? Or, shouldn't 50 be mid-life? I'm no one to advocate or popularize beliefs, so let me follow the norm this time and say that 25 is quarter-life. Coming to the next question - is there a crisis at all? Well, the short answer is no. Let me try and explain.

Quarter life flew by me a year and some ago, but it only seems like yesterday that I even graduated from college. Those memories are so fresh, that I refuse to accept the fact that I've grown older. Since there is little proof that I have become wiser further reduces my faith in having grown up. Maybe that's the first sign - you refuse to accept that you've grown up and are getting ready for more challenges to come. In a setting like ours, true sense of independence is not really acheived at all, mostly because you're answerable to some person or the other all the time. First it was your parents, then the society and eventually your own partner and kids. So many this to think about, no?

I like to call this phase of life as the 'limbo' where you are not ready to give up your childhood/teenage fantasies and at the same time, accept more responsibilities and take on the world, which by the way is a really harsh place to be. This is seen at various levels where you want to stick to your college outfit of a simple jeans and a T or struggle to slip in to business attire. You want late nights like before, but cannot do it simply because you're worried about the next day at work. It gets harder to stay up late, lose weight, compromise and a lot, lot more. You are so much set in your own ways that its really hard to budge. 

If you have made the choice of coming to college at this age, you will relate better to this.You start understanding that its much harder to concentrate on studies while maintaining the ever so slight balance with your family and the vast network of friends that you've accummulated over the years. Not to mention the economic ups and downs once you've quit your job. 

Taken in a positive stride, I'm sure all of this is a great learning experience. Maybe there is a certain joy in being a kid throughout your life. Maybe as Calvin suggests, grown ups indeed have no taste, so it's probably best to stay a kid at heart. That way, life is a lot simpler, there are lesser expectations from others, resulting in overall increase in happiness and quality of life. So, quarter life crisis? Well, I'm not sure. I suggest you don't read much into it and just do what feels right.    

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