I think 24 is a transition age, and to be honest I feel in the midst of that transition at the moment.
I am moving away from the student /bachelor life and thinking more about how I am going to use the adult one.
You see I have this debate in my head. (Which isn’t as black and white as I will make it sound now)
The debate is between:
Following a high paying career path with the mentality of ‘living for the weekend’
vs.
Following something that I’m really interested in, in the pursuit of changing ‘shit’ for the better. The only problem is that this option has the potential to fail miserably and could offer little financial reward.
You see as a student studying politics and being involved in an idealist organization like AIESEC, it is all too easy to start caring a lot about the things that are happening around you, particularly when you start to experience them first hand.
But at the same time the pressures of growing up, especially amongst friends who seem to be making a better job of it than me, are ever increasing. I’m half jealous of their secure jobs, long term girlfriends and good work life balance but without genuinely wanting it for myself yet.
The reason I bring this up is that a folk muscian, who has recently exerted his influence on my playlist, seems to have an uncanny knack of descrbing these little debates - atleast in my head. His name is Frank Turner and by all accounts and purpose the man is a legend.
As much as it pains me to admit it, I actually have to thank Brett Kingsbury for introducing me to Frank. While at Reading festival Brett and myself continued our age old debate of ‘Andrew has a closed mind and spends all day on the main stage’.
Literally to prove the bastard wrong, I went along to see this ex-punk band front man, turn folk singer…sounded crap.
But I have to say it turned out to be one of the highlights of the weekend. It was 3:30pm, you couldn’t get in the tent and the crowd sang every word…amazing.
With that in mind I feel it is only fair I share some of those wise words sang on that fateful day …
Well I guess I should confess that I am starting to get old
All the latest music fads all passed me by and left me cold
All the kids are talking slang I won't pretend to understand
All my friends are getting married, mortagages and pension plans
And it's obvious my angry adolescent days are done
And I'm happy and I'm settled in the person I've become
But that doesn't mean I'm settled up and sitting out the game
Time may change alot but some things may stay the same
And I won't sit down
And I won't shut up
And most of all I will not grow up
Oh maturity's a wrapped up package deal so it seems
And ditching teenage fantasy means ditching all your dreams
All your friends and peers and family solomnly tell you you will
Have to grow up be an adult yeah be bored and unfulfilled
Oh when no ones yet explained to me exactly what's so great
About slaving 50 years away on something that you hate
Look I'm meekly shuffling down the path of mediocrity
Well if that's your road then take it but it's not the road for me
Frank Turner - Photosynthesise
Oh but once we were young, and we were crass enough to care
But I guess you live and learn, we won't make that mistake again, no
Oh but surely just for one day, we could fight and we could win
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossibleso come on old friends to the streets
Let's be 1905 but not 1917, let's be heroes, let's be martyrs, let's be radical thinkers
Who never have to test drive the least of their dreams
Let's divide up the world into the damned and safe
And then ride to the valleys like the old life brigade
And straighten our backs and we won't be afraid
And they'll celebrate our deaths with a national parade
So come on let's be young, let's be crass enough to care
Let's refuse to live and learn, let's make all our mistakes again yes
And then darling, just for one day, we can fight and we can win
And if only for a little while, we could insist on the impossible
Frank Turner - Love and Ire
Because I’m young enough to be all pissed off
But I’m old enough to be jadedI’m at the age where I want things to change
But with age my hopes have faded
I’m young and bored of being young and bored
If I was old I could say I’ve seen it all before
In short; I’m tired of giving a shitI’ve got friends who are bankers
And it’s an easy rhyme to call them wankers
But I must say I envy the way that they live
And it’s all; it’s all take and no give
Well I’m playing the lone ranger
Riding to the rescue with 6 billion strangers
Armed with only an original song
And a sense that something’s wrong
Frank Turner – Once we were anarchists
