The Importance Of An Unhappy Adolescence

By Fattima Mahdi Truth Theory

Comfort breeds complacency. In moving forward we’re leaving our current location behind, which is why humans are reactive by nature and only strive to improve upon that which we’re greatly dissatisfied with – something we’re willing to leave behind. And the more threatening something is to our wellbeing (be it emotional or physical), the harder and quicker we’ll work to overcome it. Thus, it can be argued that an uncomfortable adolescence can lead to one pursuing a life acutely tailored to their needs and desires, a life that provides solutions to their problems. The video below, by Alain de Botton’s ‘The School of Life’, eloquently details the positive impact an unhappy adolescence has on one’s motivation to lead a deeply fulfilling life; touching on our universal desire to be understood and reminding us adults that it is our purpose to do right by the child within us.

“The true end point of adolescence is not when one stops asking huge questions and just gets on with their day to day but when one acquires the resources and intelligence to build an entire life around the big questions that first obsessed one at 17” — Alain de Botton.