“Angst, often confused with anxiety, is a transcendent
emotion in that it combines the unbearable anguish of life with the hopes of
overcoming this seemingly impossible situation” http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Angst.
Many people have different opinions on what Angst maybe in the coming of age
process, but they all come down to the same meaning. Every process requires a shift
in change and in order for an individual to change (youth to adulthood) we need
to encounter a situation that causes an effect. Today the awareness of Angst
amongst youth is more commonly known due to social media and case studies over
the years. In my opinion Angst is inevitable in the coming of age process,
without the feeling of Angst how we would ever now that we have transition from
youth to adulthood and develop our own understanding of the world we live in.
Growing up as a child we have a view of the world in an
innocent and imaginary way regardless the situation we are born into, then as
we start to develop, we gather our own opinions and views based on our experiences,
which leads to confusion and frustration. Heather O’Neill demonstrates a
perfect example of angst in the coming of age process in her novel, Lullabies for little criminals. The main
character “Baby”, a 12 year old girl born into a situation with no mother and a
heroin addict father, still sees the innocents in the world and the beauty. As
she undergoes the loss of losing her father to rehab and being shifted from one
household to another, she is faced with the reality of “the real world”. She starts
to develop her own thoughts and views of how ugly the world can be, because of
the situation she is faced with. We start to see her anxiety, anxiousness and
thoughts of death (something every teenager may face undergoing the coming of
age process). Regardless the situation every youth undergoes a moment in the
coming of age process of wondering what their purpose maybe in life.
I for one grew up with extremely traditional grandparents,
that at the age of 17 years old I was forced to figure out what my career
choice was going to be, and in their eyes it had to be something sophisticated
(teacher, engineer, etc.). In my eyes I felt that I was being persuaded to go
into a career that I may not even enjoy, at that age I had no idea of what I wanted
to do because I was dealing with an ill father and a mother that was working
fulltime to support her 2 children and taking care of her ill husband. Not only
having to face with the situation at home I then started to feel the pressure
from society because College applications were coming due and I was to decide
what program I was to take. Feeling all this pressure from all ends of the
stick, I felt the anguish, anxiety and the pressure from family and society to find
my purpose in this world. Undergoing that situation helped me grow and develop my
own ideas of what is right for me.
Angst is important, without that inner conflict, frustration
and anxiety, then the coming of age process will never happen. “Coming of Age”
meaning that as an individual we have our own ideas and understanding of what
we think, we are no longer dependant. Every culture is different but in the end
every individual encounters a moment where they are to face a stepping stone in
their life.
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