Why do we think we wasted our teenage years doing something that was useles?

Many times it happens that someone asks us what you did in your high school or early college and your mind suddenly goes into the consciously hidden memories deep in your hippocampus and brings out an image, the spark of which itself creates a feeling of not just emotional but physical pain and embarrassment. “Oh I did something completely useless” we yell. When the pain from this sudden burst of electrical shock starts to subside, we try and repackage the memory and hide it again until someone else entices it out again.

I am sure we all have at some point in our lives have used these same words. Should we really be carrying this burden of emotional memory with us always? Is it really our fault that we chose to do something that we now think was not worth it? Did we really waste that time doing what we did? Well the good thing is that it’s not completely true. Let’s start with the brain of young teenager vs the brain of an adult. It is certain now that some parts of a teenage brain are underdeveloped compared to that of an adult (except if you are Ra*ul G*ndhi, in that case its always underdeveloped). Specifically the prefrontal cortex- which is the execution decision making part. The part that is most involved with rational thinking and logical decision making. This part of the brain lights up when one is given a task related to rational thinking or during logic games. Anyhow, for teenagers this part is highly underdeveloped or is still being developed. Until an individual has reached 25 years of age, this part is always under constant development. It is likely that before this age, we are not really capable of rational decision making (I wonder why we are still allowed to vote under this age. Or to marry. Etc.). Hence any major life decision that you made before that age is likely to look like idiotic or stupid now in hindsight. So if you decided to study philosophy or social studies when you were 20, when you think you should have studies music or arts, don’t worry! The decision was not purely rational and you are not to blame yourself for it. It is just that you were highly incapable of making that decision at that moment of your life. Probably you took that decision because you were a rebel and believed in doing something ‘different’, or you believed in conspiracy theories about science and technology or mathematics being the source of all evil, it is also possible that you studied it because you saw a hot girl/boy in that class who you really liked and took the course just to be in their company (like the genius Richard Feynman did). Oh and maybe because you thought it is the easiest and everything else was close to sorcery. It is also possible you took it because all your ‘friends’ were doing the same. This is called collective delusion (some people even get married like that. Oh humanity!). Whatever your reason was, we all have been there and done that. We all have taken naive decisions that we now regret. But like I said before, our brains were wired differently back then. The question here to ask is that knowing everything about these differences in the psychology of young minds why is our education system build up in the way it is? Why is it so rigid? Is a teenager really capable of making such a major decision about the topic of study for whole of his/her life? Why do we put doors in front of teenagers and ask them to choose one while knowing that probably that there is no coming back from it. Do we really want kids to live with a decision they took when probably they were not even aware why they are taking it? 

So here are my two cents on the topic: chill! The time you probably think you wasted on something is the time you spent learning about yourself, what you like, what you don’t like, where you don’t see yourself, what sort of a person inspires you etc. You spent this time probably meeting new people and making lifelong friends. You could also have spent this time learning about the world and how you were wrong about certain things and change your opinion about them. No one is judging you here so stop doing that to yourself also! Would you rather be in jail? Or working for Donald Trump’s presidency campaign? (I don’t know which is worse). Of course you will feel there were so many things you could have done. But remember, the fact that you are saying this is because you are not the same anymore. You probably have changed; have become more responsible and matured. Hopefully your decisions are more rational now. So go on live your life the way you always wanted. Or at least work towards it. Now you have got no excuses or reasons (biological at least) for making the same irrational mistakes. And if someone asks you the same question in future, remember this fact and answer with confidence and not embarrassment! like a prudent man once said, whenever in doubt trust biology!