A Step in the Journey to Adulthood

The first time I got a debit card was a momentous day in my life, or so I thought in the moment. I was thirteen at the time, and Chase was offering some type of program to youngsters, so we could learn principles of banking. When the card came in the mail, I marveled at its meaning to my life; I felt like I was taking a step closer to adulthood. And then I used it maybe twice, before I stuffed it into a wallet and thought little about it until, and I kid you not, when I realized Pepperdine’s laundry machines wouldn’t accept any of the quarters I had brought.

Back when I was first creating my bank account with a username that likens to “iloveponies13,” I, like many American teenagers alive, craved freedom. Somewhere in my head I amounted freedom to adulthood. I dreamed of the day I could drive, move away from home, and hold a job. I remember looking at my cousins and youth leaders who had done or could do all of these, and thinking to myself — “wow, I wish I had life figured out like they do.” While maybe they did have life figured out, I can say with confidence, I definitely do not. Moreover, even after getting my driver’s license, moving away from home, holding two jobs, and my first call for jury duty, I know I’m still like my thirteen-year-old self: very far from adulthood, but now craving a college degree and a full time job with a steady income.

Admittedly, each step into adulthood has lost a bit of its thrill. I no longer hold the car keys with a sense of achievement — except when I’ve achieved finding them after I’ve lost them. It’s almost expected to have held at least an entry-level job (although there is still, of course, always excitement at getting one). And there’s no one in Pepperdine that I can really brag to about how much I’ve learned when I moved away from home. This is not to take away from the significance and blessing of each little piece that I believe to be a part of adulthood, or to take away from the fact that in everything I do, I’m still learning. While the reality is, they’ve become part of a norm and get lost in daily life routine and more pressing thoughts like “What’s for lunch?” the learning process has been what has grown me as a person. I’m currently about to take another step, when I vote in the presidential election for the first time on November 8, and I’m realizing that this journey has been like no other.

So what was this journey? I believe it goes back further than the moment my junior year of high school where, after reading an essay in my English class on the importance of civic duty, I recognized the significance of voting and understanding U.S. government. It goes back further than the influence of watching Captain America and listening to the experiences of my high school youth pastor who served as a Public Relations Specialist in the Senate. I even believe it goes back further than the day I create my bank account. My vote in many ways represents my unique perspective from the nineteen years I’ve lived. My vote is my voice on my perspective. It is not small. My ability to vote is a result of the sacrifices of those in the American Revolution, the proponents of the fifteenth, nineteenth, and twenty-sixth amendments, and all those who have sacrificed their lives serving for our country so we can have a government that serves us and protects our livelihoods and ability to maintain what we believe to be basic human rights. While I don’t believe any government is perfect, I do believe voting matters. It’s important to recognize the sacrifices that have been made and the beauty of our ability to have a voice. With most of the media geared towards the presidential election, it can be easy to forget about everything else up for stake on Election Day. However, as I’m watching my high school face the possibility of being cancelled, as I learned about a senate bill that could have effects on the college I attend, as I go to vote on propositions in California with issues that range from the death penalty to environmental issues, I’m seeing the great significance of local and state elections. Voting matters on all levels.

I also want to say, it’s not just the election days that matters to me, but my daily conscious decision of choosing to expand and deepen the perspective that I have by expanding my knowledge of international, national, and local events, understanding my beliefs and interests and why I stand for them, and also, choosing to see from other’s perspectives. Ultimately we are more than just individuals living for ourselves, but within a much larger world. This is something we can’t escape.

Pepperdine has been a huge part of the process that provided me with many opportunities to expand my perspective and understand the world around me. My Religion 102 class with Dr. Cox caused me to question whether the things I did were because they were a part of culture that I am in, or were apart from culture and rather for eternity allowing me to better understand what I really value. Project Serve allowed me to understand an international, national, statewide, and local issue on a personal level rather than through the eyes of media. My trip to Fiji deepened my understanding of the multitude of differences between my culture and Fijian culture. A message I heard at Pepperdine about the importance of belovedness, deepened my understanding of what it means to find my identity in how Christ views me, but also what it means to view others, even those whose views differ vastly from mine, as Christ views them. This in effect, has increased my ability to empathize.

What I hope I am gaining from voting is not the divisive language, but what has made up the process of understanding the world I live in and understanding my role within it. As I continue to take steps closer to adulthood within this changing world, I hope to continue to desire the Kingdom of God, continue to hold firm in what I believe in, but also continue to broaden the perspective I hold. I also hope that I never forget that at the end of the day, God is sovereign, and nothing can change that. Nevertheless, I am excited as I once again take another step closer to adulthood.