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Mitchell Signor

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp. 1 (Pd. 5a)

18 September 2020

Perfection, and the Lack Thereof

One belief that I held throughout my childhood is that adults have everything figured out.

I found myself believing that at a certain age, people reach a point where the world makes sense,

and everything is clear. Only once my views began to change did I realize how foolish that way

of thinking was. I truly got to know several adults in my life and discovered that, while they are

doing their best, they are not perfect; they have ideas with which they struggle, questions they

cannot answer, and mistakes they have made.

The root of my misconception began in my formative years; gaining the ability to speak

opened a world of possibilities for me, and like most children, I had questions... plenty of

questions. There were details I did not know about the world, and I had only one resource I could

look towards- my parents. Consequently, I started asking my many, many questions. I asked,

“Daddy, why is it raining?” and “Mommy, why do you have to go to work?” in a constant stream

for years. My parents were able to answer every question I had, and to my developing brain, it

seemed like they knew everything. My model for adults was being shaped from two well-

educated and well-intentioned people, and as a result, my perception began skewing.

This belief did not begin to change until I entered middle school. My mother works at the

middle school I attended and drove me to school every day; therefore, I was able to stay in the
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office before and after school. The teachers acted like themselves, rather than how they would

normally act around students. I realized that they were normal people, as they complained about

mistakes they had made or challenges they were dreading. I was able to see behind the curtain

and saw what my teachers were genuinely like. My eyes opened a little wider as I saw the

humanity behind the perfect outside that my teachers had shown to my fellow students and me.

The one event that finally drove me to realize that adults do not know everything began

in a familiar place: the question, “Where do I belong in this world?” My parents are both

Christians, my grandparents are Christian, and I was raised Christian as well. However, as I

started to learn more about the world for myself, I began to question everything I had previously

thought. There were holes in what I was learning about the history of the world, evolution, and

the universe that did not line up with Christianity. I started down a path of existential questioning

that once again led to me seeking counsel with my mom and dad.

My relationship with my parents is incredibly open, so I mentioned my dilemma with

them. I asked them what they believed in reference to how the Earth was created, how humanity

came to be, and if each of us has a purpose. I told them that I was not sure what I believed

anymore. They encouraged me to have faith, but they also confided that no one knows for sure

the answers to my questions. I was discouraged that some of the brightest adults I know could

not solve my problems for me. I now knew only I could decide what I believe. Finally, I put the

pieces together and came to one of the most important realizations I have ever had in my life: age

does not separate childhood and adulthood, introspection does. Furthermore, people who can

draw motivation from within themselves are the ones who are consistently at the top of their

field. It is not the oldest individuals who are able to maximize their potential; it is the most

introspective: the real adults.