Dear Societal Norms: FU! Love, Me

May I please vent for a minute?

The older I get, the more I realize that some "societal norms" are stupid.

I've also realized that we all say these things and yet we still mold ourselves into expected behaviors and actions. We're all hypoctrites. I'm one too. I get it.

Despite this, I want to point out three lame expections:

1. Debt. Keeping up with the Joneses. All that good stuff. Want to know how to piss me off? Tell me to buy a new car. Nothing gets my blood boiling than the thought of it. My car runs great. It takes some maintenance, yes, but why get rid of it "just cause"? I love my car. I love not having car payments. I love not being in debt. So, FU.
2. I'm in my mid-20s and I don't own a house. Thank god. I have no idea where I'm going to be in 6 months, much less in 5 years. The best article on why renting is better than buying is here: http://patrick.net/housing/crash3.html. 'Nuff said.
3. Marriage is overrated. My new favorite quote: "Marriage asks you to sacrifice yourself for the common good." I'm not saying that I disagree with marriage and families, I just think that people can rush into it and a couple years later ask themselves---while undergoing a divorce---"WTF was I thinking?" Ladies, let me be clear: Being married does not complete you as a person. It's all about the dress anyway.

These three things can connect to make your life either amazing or awful.

Confession: I only watch one show, The Biggest Loser. What fascinates me is that all these contestants are out of control not only with their weight, but with their lives in general. From a recent show and MSNBC article:

Last time, [Suze] Orman predicted a winner based on credit scores, and her pick, Danny Cahill, turned out to be a record-setting champion.... Then — speak of the Loser — Danny showed up, looking as good as the day he won, to talk to the current players about overcoming his 526-pound weight and $45,000 debt (and he had the best credit score last year!).

The best credit score was 45k in debt? Are you kidding me?

So, my rant is this: Our focus needs to be on self-control and not on societal expectations. Personal goals, health, family, happiness. Is it really that hard? Yes, it's hard. It's f-ing hard. But it's worth it. Society demands the American Dream---consumerism and debt; leading to divorce and obesity. I won't buy into it.