Why do we choose to struggle

Why do high schoolers put themselves through so much stress? Why do we do this when we could just go through life, doing as little as possible?  Why do high schoolers engage in so much activity all the time? I kept wondering this question throughout my week.  Why do we choose to struggle?  

I think it’s because exposure to struggle from an early age teaches people how to cope with struggle/stress/work later in life.  We choose to struggle because we know it will help us grow into more mature people.  We choose to struggle because it teaches us how to deal with problems later in the future.  My history teacher said to my class that while writing essays is important because it hones writing skills, a better reason to write essays is because going through the stress and the process helps an individual learn how they work best.  My teacher always says this to us when we’re given a major assignment, “you’ll thank me later.”  It’s almost more about figuring out ourselves.  

Struggle is also about the journey.  I like to think that high school is the next step from college which is the next step from entering the workforce.  There’s no one straight line through any of these areas and some people go through life letting just letting it happen. Others try too hard to make it tip one way or the other. My counselor told me this week to see each major step in my life as a playground for developing skills for the next level and that I should strive for a healthy equilibrium between letting life happen and controlling it with the utmost force.  To be free, to let go, to fail, to try again, to fail again, and to fail better, then to learn.  This is why many high schoolers choose to struggle.