Its a Saturday, the middle of the weekend, and i have no responsibilities to complete besides this assignment.

On these peaceful, blissful days, when my  mind is allowed to reach into its most inner thoughts, new broader anxieties about my life and my future fill my head. Things like, what am I going to do after next year, really? I know I'm going to college; I even know some professions I might be interested in, but how I actually will accomplish these things, seems insurmountable the way I'm living my life right now.

I am confident in my ability to do what I need to do to adapt to new situations, such as the one I'm about to face in the form of leaving home for good. However there are some questions i have, that i would like a explanation too.  why do I dwell on on the future and my work to the point of what feels like temporary insanity? Could it be my current lifestyle? My mindset? These constant questions and stresses are the main cause of many of the negative things like self medication that i have pursued in my life.

There a a thousand single answers to each of these questions; but i feel as though there is an underlying cultural problem responsible for me and many others asking these questions in the first place. I am beginning to see my own downfalls in the majority of the people I meet and see in society at large. I'm not even saying that everybody shares a common, single, problem with me, or with each other. However; everybody has a crutch, whether healthy, unhealthy, or whatever, and everybody keeps their crutch and the reasons for having one a dirty little secret, people do this by putting on an act, carrying themselves in a way that they have been trained to view as “normal”, to cover their secrets up. I don't blame the individual for this, i blame individualism and the society that embraces it. Take a look around, you see chaos in the news, chaos in your friends lives, the destruction we are causing in the environment, we need to make some changes and do it soon!

I believe our society in the US is a sick corruption when compared to the possible potential for a human society. Just look around, everyone has something they're really into, their hobbies, their habits, its just other words for an addiction. Some people are addicted to things we have traditionally seen as addicting, and negative influences, such as: drugs, alcohol, pornography etc. etc. others, however; are addicted to things socially considered acceptable, and even positive influences, for example: working out, performing in or watching sports, and shopping to name a few of the main ones but, the concept of addiction, extends to all activities under the moon.
Those latter activities that I listed are highlighted by the media and society in general as natural, and even good for you but; when you really think about it, do you waste any less time, money, resources, and energy, on these things, than a binge drinker does on booze?
This leaves one question to be answered. what is the cause of all these stresses, that make us feel that we need some kind of self medication in our lives? We are influenced from an early age in this country, that you have to have certain things to be all you can be a big house, a nice car, the perfect spouse and family. Some people literally ruin themselves trying to attain these things sacrificing physically, mentally, and socially to make that dollar; to lift themselves to a higher social status in the eyes of others and; of course, to support their various “hobbies”. Usually; the reason people think they need the said hobbies, is to distract themselves from the endless pursuit of life. Its not good when you need a distraction from life; and its not good when you start viewing people like an item, or a means to an end. these are some of the things the mentality of the quest can lead to.
The root problem of what I see, in both myself, and many around me, and what I believe is an overall factor of human unhappiness here in america, and around the world; is that we focus too much on the individual. Putting emphasis on what an individual can do for themselves, how successful an individual can get? This selfish mindset contributes to many of the emotional, cultural, and social ills discussed earlier.

In conclusion, to stop the cycle of getting stressed and attempting to relieve the stress through escape. i urge any and everyone whose read, to look at what you're doing right now in your life. As a whole, what direction are you going? Ss that direction a preconceived notion of what you're supposed to do to be successful? Are you living out someone elses dream for you? What is your vision of the future? Nothing is perfect, so don't chase the money, the big house, the nice car, life is to short to be stressing about those things; don't use that for motivation. Strive for the things that really make you happy. If you have a dream, pursue it; If you have a passion you authentically like, then pursue that too. the result of your ensuing happiness, will bring fulfillment to your life.