Just a thought...

When I grow up...

2009-08-18T20:44:00.001-07:00

Lately, I have been very seriously considering what the future may hold for me. What do I want to do with the rest of my life? What should I do with the rest of my life? And most importantly, what will I do with the rest of my life? These are questions which a lot of people roughly my age (20) and at roughly my stage in life (2nd year uni) begin to ask. And it's fair enough! If we haven't already figured out what our career will be, it's pretty important to seriously think about it. I'm not saying it's necessary to know what the future will hold. I'm just saying it's very important to start to consider and explore the options available.
And that's precisely what I've been doing lately.
I'm studying media. I'm double majoring in contemporary music. Both of these are incredibly competitive fields and pursuing a career in either will be incredibly difficult. I've decided, being the unrealistic over-achiever that I am, that the career I'm going to pursue is a combination of two. Yes, I'm going all "Almost Famous" on you. I want to be a music journalist. That's the decision I've come to, and I've never been so sure of anything. It's something which I've considered several times (along with a whole lot of other career options), and I'm pretty excited to have landed back on the idea. Even more exciting, I have quite possibly managed to line up an amazing internship opportunity with the Music Network (a music industry magazine in Sydney). So things are looking up.
However, it's pretty important to recognise that the decision to pursue this career has not been easy, or short. Let's look at the University history. First, I was offered a scholarship by Teach NSW to study English and Drama teaching. I turned it down, and enrolled in a BA at Sydney. I'd decided I wanted to study psychology, and but didn't get the marks to get straight into Sydney's psych program. However, I then transferred to Macquarie to study psych directly. After a year of that, I realised it was definitely not for me, so I transferred to a BA- Media and Cultural studies. I then decided I didn't like Cultural Studies, so am set to transfer into a BMedia. I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to finish. I think. I hope...
Ok, so my university journey has hardly been tidy. And that's without considering how many career options I've gone through- education, law, journalism, psychology, physiotherapy, airline piloting, archaeology...and then there's the big one. Professional performing. For years I was sure I was going to be a professional music theatre performer. Nothing could dissuade me, especially not my mother. This was my big "when I grow up" dream, and it carried through to my teen years. Not only was it what I wanted to do, it was what I was sure I would do. However, I don't really think it's going to happen anymore.
This change of mind has come about for a few reasons. I'm not going to do the whole self-depricating "I'll never be good enough to make it!" thing, but that's not the main reason I changed my mind. The main reason is that I have decided that, even though music theatre is what I love, it's not what I want to do as a career. Music is my passion, and I want to involved it in my career somehow. But I don't think that needs to invovle performance. I am so excited about the idea of a future which involves performance in a big way, but not as a career. I'm excited about writing for a living, and performing for fun.
I'm sure a lot of people would agree, though, that letting go of a dream you've nurtured for years is incredibly difficult, and take a lot of thought. When it comes to making decisions about the future, some people deal with this effortlessly, and make the best choice for themselves. Some people take years of trying different things before landing on the right path. Some people meander through life, never feeling enthusiastic about anything. Some people refuse to let go of that one dream, and never achieve it. Some people do achieve that dream. The toughest part of the decision making process is deciding what to do with dreams. A big part of this decision involves trying things out. If you think you're going to achieve what you really want, give it a go. If you find out it's never going to happen, moving on is tough but necessary. If you don't know what you want, try things!
I'm not saying that letting go of your dream is easy. I'm not even saying it's necessary- some people are absolutely cut out to do exactly what they've always wanted to. Some dreams take a bit of refining- for me, having music in my life in a big way is enough.
Making decisions about the future is so important and so difficult, and the most important thing is to do something which you're passionate about. It can be hard to figure out how your dream fits into your future, but good luck with it!

Anyway, just a thought.

Weighty Issues

2009-08-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

As a media student, it's quite important for me to be well read. It's altogether necessary that I intellectually engage with as much literature as possible, from various different sources intended for various different audiences. It would not do for me to limit my reading to a small range of sources, and to ignore writing which may extend my understanding of the world in ways which I hadn't considered.
At least, that's what I tell people when I read Cosmopolitan...
Now, don't get me wrong. Cosmo is not a publication I would actively, intentionally seek out and buy. It is not something which I would choose to or wish to read regularly. However, it's also not something I would knock back if it were presented to me. And, admittedly, it is something which I enjoy quite a bit more than I care to admit.
Recently, whilst reading the most recent issue of Cosmo which I borrowed from a female friend "because I was really bored" (I was initally drawn by the picture of Jessica Alba on the front cover) I was struck by a few concerning issues. The magazine claimed to be "the body image issue", offering the personal devotionals of "high profile women" (as high profile as Australian Idol and the Biggest Loser!) who have struggled with body image issues. Fantastic! I thought. What a great way to encourage young girls to address their own body issues! What a fantastic effort at shedding light on the very real, very dangerous relationships with food, exercise and self esteem which are so prevalent, especially amongst Cosmo's target audience! And yes, this certainly was the case, as I discovered upon reading the devotionals of women such as Giaan Rooney and Rikki-Lee Coulter. This was altogether encouraging. However, flipping over only a few pages, I felt that anything the previous article had achieved was made completely redundant.
Not 2 pages after this arguably inspirational article was a double page spread devoted entirely to revealing the number of kilojoules in various drinks commonly consumed by most people. To make the amounts easier to understand, Cosmo had thoughtfully provided kilojoule comparisons to various foods. Apparently, a can of Coke has as many kilojoules as one Tim Tam. A Boost Juice breakfast smoothie is equal to a roast lamb dinner with vegetables and gravy. Coke Zero is preferrable to Lipton green tea, as it contains far less sugar. Oh, how the mind boggles!
Here's my concern: most girls wouldn't feel bad about eating one Tim Tam. It's just an innocent snack. However, most girls would intuitively know that a can of Coke is inherently bad for them. Yet, a can of Coke and a Tim Tam are exactly the same, in terms of kilojoules. So, of course, both of these must be bad, and therefore both must be avoided at all costs! A roast lamb dinner is an entire meal, whilst a smoothie might just be a compliment to a meal, or possibly a breakfast supplement. But I'm not going to eat roast lamb for breakfast, or blend it up and drink it with my lunch, so I guess I'd better steer clear of smoothies altogether!
Now, not wanting to blow my own trumpet, but I'm a pretty intelligent guy, or at least pretty well educated. I read this article, and had absolutely no idea what to make of it. Are smoothies unhealthy? Should I go for a can of Coke, instead? Is there something wrong with kilojoules? What the hell is going on?!?!
Just a thought, Cosmo: maybe if you didn't publish articles which encouraged incredibly confused, unhealthy ideas about food, you wouldn't need to publish inspirational devotionals from high profile women about their body image issues!
I'm not about to blame Cosmopolitan for the epidemic that is eating disorders. There are many more factors to blame, and a great deal of them do not come from pop culture industries, but from internal psychology. However, I'm not even talking about eating disorders here- I'm talking about body issues generally. I'm talking about Western society's obsessions with not letting bodies get too big or too small. It's confusing, and it's unhealthy.
Here's how I see things: pop culture and the media are mostly concerned with people who are too big. The Biggest Loser, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig...need I say more? People who become too small often slip under the radar, because institutions such as celebrity culture continually push the envelope of the "healthy body". However, being underweight is just as dangerous as being overweight. This is an issue which the media has largely ignored, except for the occasional story about Lindsay Lohan or Posh Spice.
It does look like things are set to change, however: the Lifestyle Channel's new show, "Supersize vs. Superskinny" presents two people with different eating issues (one too big, one too small) opposite each other, and asks them to switch diets for a week. Sounds gimmicky, I know, but it's actually a very eye opening show. Hopefully this new trend continues.
So here's my point: everyone knows that it's important to strive to keep the body healthy. However, sometimes in efforts to encourage healthy behaviour, all the media really achieves is encouraging even more unhealthy behaviour. Counting kilojoules is confusing! Just tell people to do exercise! Then maybe they'll realise, like Giaan Rooney did in that aforementioned devotional, that there is a weight their body is supposed to be.

Anyway, just a thought.

Working hard for the money

2009-07-15T05:08:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been finding myself at work far more often than usual. This makes perfect sense, considering I'm usually at university, so my work availabilities are limited. I quite enjoy my job, and I'm very grateful to have it, given the flexible hours and excellent pay (I work as a wardsman in a hospital). However, it definitely does take a lot out of me, physically and mentally. Thus, being at work 4 or 5 days a week is pretty intense, yet it's something I feel compelled to do when I can.
This is problematic, seeing as my availabilities jump up during holidays. See the irony? I'm on holidays, so what do I do? I work! Of course...
The amount of time I've spent at work during the holidays, the amount of money it's gotten me, and the amount of stuff I've missed out on as a result has got me thinking about the whole work culture- should we work just because we can? How much work is too much? When is it a good idea to stop?
The Australian culture has long been lauded as laidback and easy-going. However, the amount of time Australians spend at work does not gel with this image in the slightest. As far as the idea of working because we're available is concerned, I think the major reason for this is the Protestant work ethic- that element of Christian discourse which encourages people to work hard and rest, and reap the rewards of what they sow. Inherently, I don't see anything wrong with this- it keeps people honest, and ensures people are earning what they receive. However, I think there are potential issues which can arise out of this formula. One issue is that of income exceeding need. I'm not talking about people who live in luxury because of a lucky break, for example- this is a whole separate issue. I'm talking about people who work ridiculous hours in order to make more money than they really need. I'll admit I've been guilty of this. Another issue which can arise is working out of a sense of guilt or obligation- as though the worker owes something to the employer for hiring them, or feels that they should do their coworkers a favour by covering a shift. This is a risky attitude, as it allows people to take advantage of workers who display weakness and an overwillingness to work.
In my opinion, it is important to work within your capabilities. Don't work if you have study to do, and don't work if you're exhausted. Don't work if you don't need the money- excess leads to just as much financial stress as poverty does. I'm absolutely giving advice which I have often failed to follow, but I'm now beginning to realise the importance of working an appropriate amount. The model I try to follow? 5 day week, 2 day weekend. For me, that includes study and work, so I'm lucky. The importance is finding a balance- not being lazy, not overworking yourself. That's the point of the Protestant work ethic. It's not asking people to work all the time, or feel guilty about not working when rest is required. So please, remember the importance of work and rest. Work hard and take it easy.

Anyway, just a thought.

What makes a man?

2009-07-14T05:55:00.001-07:00

Very recently, I turned 20. In my opinion, reaching this age represents a far greater milestone than turning 21, at least here in Australia. Given that the cultural practice of receiving the keys to the house no longer holds any relevance, I would suggest that turning 20 should warrant a huge celebration, as it marks the end of the teenage years and, arguably, the end of (numerical) childhood. Of course, my thinking that won't make a hint of difference to a tradition which has been observed for longer than I could possibly remember.
However, the issue has got me thinking about something. If turning 20 does mark the end of childhood, what does that mean? Presumably it means becoming an adult and, more specifically for me, it means becoming a man.
In his blog, "All Men Are Liars", Sam DeBrito recently discussed how and when someone "becomes" a man. These are important things to understand, but I would suggest it is just as important to consider precisely what the implications of becoming a man are. What is expected? What is acceptable? What am I supposed to do?
My major concern in considering these questions is that many conceptions of masculinity which have been established over many generations have been discarded, as they are sexist, politically correct or offensive. Consider the image of the Australian man, content to sit on the couch with a beer while his doting wife waits on him hand and foot. Or the 9-5 breadwinner who is expected to perform no function other than putting food on the table. These representations are not difficult to think of, as they became so established in the social psyche. However, I am concerned that, having discarded these inappropriate ideas of masculinity, we have not developed new ones. There have been fleeting moments of clarity, with the emergence of the S.N.A.G and the metrosexual, for example. However, even these modern ideas of the man seem to be frowned upon. Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm very confused about what is expected of me now that I'm "a man".
Consider this: if my best friend and I spent all our time sitting around, discussing women and watching sport, we'd be considered lazy, bigoted and unemotional. However, if we shared our feelings and were open with each other, lingering social stigmas would place big question marks over our heads. It's a generalised statement, but one which rings true, and which I, as the sensitive guy I am, have come up against. Again, consider the breadwinner who is disconnected from his children. He would be considered a poor father who should be more emotionally involved. However, were he to leave his job and be a stay-at-home father, many people would question his behaviour. Clearly, these conflicts are not fair, and create serious confusion.
Of course, I know the world doesn't operate in extremes like this, and that becoming a man will be about finding balances, but I must say this confusion about conceptions of masculinity has been frustrating me. How can I be a man in a modern world so determined to destroy all ideas about what being a man means?

Anyway, just a thought.

P.S. if you watch the latest VB ad (or insult), you'll probably think of me after reading thing...

Something new

2009-06-25T20:49:00.001-07:00

To anyone who happens upon this, welcome, and thanks for reading. I am planning on using this as a way of sharing my thoughts and opinions, and generating discussion about various topics on a semi-regular basis. Please feel free to comment and recommend to friends. The more the merrier!