Coolness

It is kind of interesting being on the observational side of the great social experiment known as High School. Now I listened to an interview with a writer who firmly believed that the high school social structure always exists whether or not you are there or not. Example, if you were the cool kid in high school you are the cool kid in the adult world. I really don't buy into that. I really do believe that people may still think they are the cool kid still but they always thought that and it wasn't always true. Popularity is such a tricky thing; being popular means people like you for some reason most people later in life say they really didn't like the so called popular kids. If that is true then who made them popular? My answer, they did. It is a self proclaimed title, they did nothing to deserve it but teenagers are so self conscience that they are not going to contradict anyone lest call attention to themselves. Conformity is the name of the game in high school, to be set apart, aside from being in a sport, is not cool. Look at those after high school who are the most interesting, they are the ones who changed, did something different with their life and were most likely nerds. I have two theories as to why they do, 1.) They were ridiculed for being different so they didn't care if they tried something new it didn't matter. 2.) Because they were ridiculed they felt the need to change to conform to the norm and in the process found out who they really were. For whatever reason these people so called uncool are the more dynamic people. Those who were "cool" stayed the same for fear of screwing up a good thing and therefore haven't grown. They were not willing to take risks because that would set them apart and that would make them a looser. They couldn't have that so there they are in the same town they grew up in still going to the high school football games saying things like "When I was in school…(insert lame story here)" I would hate to ever think of my high school years as the best in my life. Hell I would hate to say that college was the best years of my life. I would hope that the best years of my life are still to come. The day I look back and say damn that was the best ever is they day I die, and that had better be a long ways away. Even then I would hope I would still want to do more.