Astronaut Chipmunks

The older we get, the more we deny ourselves to dream and be passionate, why?

Remember when you were in second grade and your teacher would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and without hesitation, hands would fly up and almost simultaneously a wide range of answers would be blurted out! Answers like; Actors, Doctors, Lawyers, the President, or maybe even an Astronaut.

As children, we really believed that the sky was the limit because that was what we were taught. We would answer this question without even hardly thinking.

Our imaginations were wild and limitless; so were our dreams.

Yet, as we got older reality started to sink in, and our dreams started to be ignored. Yet, what didn’t change was the question. As you got older, it would arise more and more. Teachers, friends, parents of friends, guidance counselors, relatives, neighbors, anyone you met would ask, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” This turned from just a silly question your second-grade teacher would ask as an icebreaker to the main topic of discussion.

Many factors began to play a part in how you answered the question. Maybe you knew what your answer was but said something else in fear of being ridiculed. Or money and lifestyle began to play a bigger role in your imagination, so you convinced yourself that what you wanted to do wasn’t logical because there wasn’t “enough money” in it. What happened to the endless amounts of imagination you had when you were seven years old?

What happened to make you decide that your dreams weren’t enough?

Growing up I always wanted to be an Actor and Writer. As I got older, adults would begin to fill my head with the probability of that never happening. Even in high school, counselors would try to convince me to do something “safe”. I was not the only student subjected to this. We were encouraged to lead a ‘basic’ lives, have ‘basic’ goals and pursue ‘basic’ job. They pushed the idea that me being a black male in America, my dreams weren’t valid and that I don’t have the luxury of chasing them.

I fell for what they were saying and lowered my expectations for my life. I let the influence of others push me into one direction, when really my whole life, I dreamt of leaping into another.

I let people convince me that being an actor would consist of many years of depression and being a writer was just a fancy word for being poor. So like anybody else, I got scared and decided to pick something safe. Like being a teacher.

Growing up I had many great role models who were teachers. These teachers introduced me to new ways of thinking and processing information. Some even helped mold the confidence I now have today. I thought to myself, “I would love to do that for someone else” and just like that, I gave up on my dream.

From time to time I think back to that experience I had in second grade when our teacher got us all down on the floor in a circle and asked us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I can’t remember what I said. Though what I do remember is there was a boy in my class who, unlike me, was very shy and somewhat sat on the outside of the classroom and watched everything that went on — a wall flower. He raised his hand and told the teacher that he wanted to be an Astronaut, and then went on to say, “but if that doesn’t work out, I want to be a member of Alvin and The Chipmunks.” the class broke out into laughter and the teacher reprimanded him, telling him that now was a time to be serious and not to play, but in fact the boy was very serious. In that moment he went back into his shell and probably denied the idea of ever becoming an astronaut or a singer in a band of chipmunks.

As silly as this sounds, it struck something in me, and still does. The teacher didn’t ask what career we wanted to go into, or what jobs we saw ourselves having. She instead asked, who do we want to be? The boy’s answer was gigantic, his imagination was wide and even as he answered the question, he was passionate about it. Him becoming a member of a cartooned chipmunk band isn’t very likely, but at least he knew he wanted to grow into someone who didn’t live his life in the limits of possibility. I saw this in him and thought to myself, I want that.

I knew from an early age — though I probably couldn’t articulate it as well as I can now — that I wanted to grow up and be passionate about something. Whether it be teaching, or acting. I knew I wanted my passion to get me up each day.

As we get older we start to deny ourselves to be passionate.

We fall into a routine and begin to just play life as “safe.” If you haven’t already guessed it, I gave up on being a teacher and went back to the original plan. I dare you to find something that you’re passionate about and mold a career around that. No matter the circumstances, no matter the odds, go for it.

As for the boy who dreamed of being an Astronaut/Chipmunk, I wonder where he is now…