4 ms·

You are setting your expectations on marketed social norms which are pretty much meaningless. Who cares if you didn't go to parties? Being mature earlier is a b

• leoh 5y ago
  > You are setting your expectations on marketed social norms which are pretty much meaningless. Maybe OP is trying to say they had a need for freedom and joy, which I do not doubt OP did not experience. Are those needs merely marketed social norms?
  • syntheweave 5y ago
    It's a norms vs needs distinction. When you're a baby you don't even know that you have to sleep to not feel tired, or eat to not feel hungry. You learn pretty quickly but at first you're just always upset that you feel these things and cry about it, so your parents(if they are any good) will try to normalize bedtimes and mealtimes to speed along the concept. It's not exactly different for the twenty-something going on thirty, just so much more complex that the presented norms never really fit anyone. Things like what ideas are worth studying, what to look for in a relationship, what the "good life" is - those are quite subtle concepts.
  • coldtea 5y ago
    Yes, even "freedom and joy" are marketed social norms. Especially in the form mentioned by the OP, and in the modern environment, where the imperative is to "have fun" and be like the people in aspirational ads.