TED Community » Julia Hartinger

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• A reply on Talk: Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20

  May 18 2013: As a 23-year-old, I thank you for your great comment.
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  A reply on Talk: Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20

  May 18 2013: Thank you for this awesome comment.
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  A comment on Talk: Meg Jay: Why 30 is not the new 20

  May 18 2013: Not having a plan ≠ wasting time.
  Having a plan ≠ being present in life, which I believe to be more important than anything else.
  
  I mean no disrespect whatsoever, but I truly wonder who those twentysomethings she talks to are, because what she's saying about them and their perspectives on life doesn't resonate with me at all (and I am one myself). It feels like she actually has no idea what it's like to be a twentysomething today, in a time of insane academic inflation. Who is pissing away their 20s anymore? In my personal opinion, her ideas essentially just add more pressure to the pressures felt by twentysomethings anyway.
  
  Also, I don't think not having an emergency contact correlates with her arguments AT ALL. You might not be on the right career path, might not even know what career you'd like to pursue, and you might not be dating a potential marital partner - but those issues don't relate to not having a person who'll take care of you, if you get sick. If you're not close enough with anyone for them to do that, I'm pretty sure it's for different reasons.
  
  I should add that I'm not American - perhaps there's some cultural dimension to this I'm just not getting, but I'm not sure.
  
  & "Identity capital" just sounds wrong. You're a HUMAN BEING before anything else.
  You don't necessarily need a career or a spouse to define you. Define yourself by your outlook on life, by how you treat the people and world around you.