Essay by Lauren Glattly of Canandaigua Academy

“How beautiful is youth, that is always slipping away!  Whoever wants to be happy, let him be so: about tomorrow there’s no knowing”  — Lorenzo de’ Medici

The day I learned where icicles come from penetrates the murky waters of my memory.  In my young mind the frozen winter stalactites appeared out of thin air, from pure magic.  This made them all the more wonderful.  One day on a winter walk while looking at a house adorned with copious amounts of sparkling ice, my father affirmed that this was most likely the coldest house on our street.  I questioned him, how could he know?  He began to relate to me the origin of my beloved icicles.  When a roof has poor insulation the heat escapes and melts the snow which drips down and refreezes suspended from the roof’s edge.  This newfound knowledge signaled my entrance into a world where there is no magic, only science.  From then on, when I saw an icicle, I thought not of the beauty but of the sparse insulation and the house owner’s substantial heating bill.

At birth humans possess only innocence.  Malice does not thrive in our hearts, hate does not exist.  Youth has a strong affiliation with nature.  Not comprehending time, the days flow by, fluctuating with the rising and setting of the golden sun.  The changing of seasons brings unspeakable joy to a child.  Autumn flames up with impossibly vibrant yellows and reds.  I would rake a sizeable pile of leaves regardless of how it would help the lawn, but simply to leap into it and roll; scattering the colorful foliage every which way.  Following autumn’s harvest waltz, a gleaming land of ice and snow thrilled me with winter sensations.  Snowflakes to catch on the tongue, no two of the crystalline fairies alike in their delicate intricacies.  I knew them not for what they were, but as tiny stars falling from heaven.  A gift from the gods sent simply for my amusement.  And then spring seeped through the ground, spreading a quiet hope that the long winter would end.  Tiny green buds appearing on the trees caused a tremor through my small frame.  The smell in the air after a thunderous rain brought a rush of memories—swimming and flying kites, abandoning all forms of footwear and running barefoot through the fragrant grass.  A golden summer unfolding, an immense white canvas stretching into the sunset, and I was the artist.  With the wide eyes of youth I saw the world as a kind place of possibilities.  I had a whirlwind of a childhood, each day bringing new discovery and untold elation.

Yet, like a bitter professor, the world also mentors us in the ways of hate and resentment.  A child of nature no longer, I have entered the vast wasteland of adolescence.  Learning the dark nature of man has damaged my innocence beyond repair.  I know of war and disease, I know of worry and dread.  My parents will no longer live forever.  They are mortal and one day they will die.  One day I will die.

I no longer fear the monster under my bed; I fear the monster inside each and every human being.

The autumn leaves bring me no joy, they signal my imprisonment within a school. Signal the shortened days of homework, notes, and the regurgitation of memorized formulas and information.  Sleepless nights.  I no longer see each delicate snowflake drifting, lilting, landing on my eyelashes.  I cannot see past my wet shoes and frozen misery.  When the heat of summer sets in, making everything heavy and tired, I take a breath, and prepare for it to start all over again.  Each year seems to fly by at a frantic pace.  No more endless days of discovery and play; just a constant reminder that I am one day closer to college, to working, to adulthood, to senility, to death.

Why, in our society, do we usher the young away from childhood, into a cruel adult world that leaves many devoid of happiness?  It begins at an early age; parents push their children to do more activities, more classes, more sports, more growing up.  Children today have responsibilities that years ago would not have weighed upon America’s tender youth.  We run a frenzied race, but a race to where?  The end?  Death?  Why spend precious days of this lifetime rushing to the finish line?  Children content as children should not be forced to mature before their time.  Life is too short not to be happy in the here and now.  Tomorrow’s storm clouds may darken today’s sunny skies.  Parents of children everywhere, I implore you, leave your children to their play.  Let them run, let them jump, let them swing.  Let them lie on their backs and stare into the sky.  Watch their faces light up to find meaning in the clouds.  The key to a functional adulthood is a happy and healthy childhood.  One must have such an upbringing in order to form the memories that provide sanctuary from a doubtful tomorrow.

Youth is like an icicle: beautiful and fragile.  It clings perilously to the edge of innocence for some time then shatters on the hard surface of responsibility.  Nothing compares to youth’s bliss and all people should revel in it.  With a youthful body or a youthful heart this world can be a place of possibilities.  Live for today.

Rebuttal

1. Youth is naive, youth is reckless, and youth is emotional.  Only with age comes wisdom and serenity.
2. Youth is self-centered.  As children we only think of our needs.  Service to others is a fulfilling aspect of life that comes only from outgrowing egoism.
3. It takes many years of maturing to appreciate some of the subtleties of our world.  Subtleties such as simply being alive and healthy, or enjoying a beautiful day.  Youth does not appreciate these things.
4. When one is young they have a strong bond with their parents.  However, one must grow up to form the most important adult bond: that of one soul mate to another.
5. A successful career or a perfected craft can be one of the most rewarding things in life.  It takes many years of hard work or study to achieve competence in a career or mastery in an art.
6. Humans thrive on responsibility because having control over our own lives results from being able to make proper decisions.  People who are not held accountable for their actions lead puerile lives.
7. The final joy of a lifetime can be found in watching our children and grandchildren discover the wonders that filled our lives so long ago.
8. The survival of civilization depends solely on the passing of knowledge and values.  Without elders to teach youth, and parents to raise children, our society would disintegrate intellectually and physically.  The passing of the torch of life is the opposite of youth’s self-centeredness, and the highest achievement an individual and society can hope to accomplish.

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