What do I want to be when I grow up? When we were kids we thought that. We daydreamt answers and saw ourselves doing awesome things. Saving kittens from fires, floating around in a rocket ship, helping people. Stuff like that. We saw ourselves growing into great benevolent adults. Those who put the welfare of others before our own. We were generous with our dreams. Now, people say it like it's a joke. "I don't know what I want to be when I grow up." And their friends laugh, because, ha ha, you're already grown up. What a card, what a cut-up. Ugh. I've used this line before mainly due to its comedy aspect. (Already grown up! Snort!) You say it and people laugh, and you say it and they smile politely, and then one day you say it simply because that's your thing. That's what you do. I'm tired of saying it. Not because it's not funny, but for a far more self-destructive reason. It trivializes everything that we stood for as kids. It trivializes everything that kids believe now. It belittles hopes and dreams. It's what people say when they're disappointed with where their life is and want others to feel the same way. I hate my life, and I want you to hate yours. Like the adage goes: The only thing that helps a bad mood is spreading it around. I'm tired of making the joke about what I want to be when I grow up. I'm grown up. That doesn't mean that I should know where I'm going, but it does mean that I'm responsible enough not to mock the dreams of others. You want to be a lion-tamer, kid? Bully for you! At least kids have conviction.