Don’t Underestimate Me ‘cause I’m Young

 “I don’t get it. First timers want one day?! Oh yeah. So that they could play pubg on Saturday. Dumb people.”

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I participated in MUN, or Model United Nations. It allows you to get a sneak-peek in the lives of people representing countries in the UN or delegates, as we say in MUN. You get to learn skills such as diplomacy and debating how to answer questions in a way that you discretely answer them, and at the same time save your ass. 

Enough of intro.

There was this one person about whom I literally did not know anything except for his or her assigned country. Right now, we are going to refer to that person as them or they.

Continuing further.

We were asked on our main WhatsApp group (where all the delegates were present), if we wanted a 1-day conference or a 2-day conference. Soon enough, we started discussing on our alliance group how to go about it and what we wished to do. Most people, including me, wanted a 1-day conference because of our classes. However, some of them were very adamant for a 2-day conference,  the delegate of Indonesia being in the lead. Now, there was a full-on compelling going on to “convince” people to have a 2-day conference. As the dispute continued, Indonesia snapped,  “I don’t get it. First timers want one day?! Oh yeah. So that they could play pubg on Saturday. Dumb people.”

And me, being someone who had never ever ever played pubg, and had no intention of doing so, was fuming. Literally all that was left was smoke coming out of my ear. How could they say it?! Were they even in their senses? And even if someone played pubg, they can’t be just declared dumb!🙄🙄 

Barely keeping my calm and recalling that this is a group for a formal purpose, I responded  “Let’s not assume. Not everyone’s worlds revolve around pubg.” 

Though I received a pathetic response saying it was a joke. Yet it was better than nothing.

I let the grudge stay within my territory and chose not to let it impede our alliance’s performance. After all, Indonesia was  my alliance’s part.

The conference carried on and the end of the meeting was coming to an end. (It was a 2-day conference ultimately, things worked out as my classes got canceled that day. So lucky. IKR.🤩)

The head of our committee asked all the delegates to turn on cameras (we all did a two day conference without seeing each other’s faces. Interesting 🤔) 

Well so we turned on our cameras. And me being the eager me, I skimmed to see who looked like what. And guess who I found? Who else but our favorite, Indonesia.

After looking at them, it took me a moment to pick up my jaw off the floor. 

Oh, why? Take a shot at it. Was he a 6’1, deep black eyes and a chiseled face wearing a white shirt with black blazer? Nope.

Instead, he was a middle school kid – definitely confident – but still a middle schooler. A kid 3 years younger than me. My self-esteem was undeniably wounded now, if not earlier. 

After attending the conference, I gathered up the pieces of my ego and wondered. Why was I surprised, or rather shocked to find out that Indonesia was not my age, or older, but was 3 younger than me? Why was that comment bearable from a person the same age as me but twice as startling coming from someone not as much as me in age? 

I settled upon one possible explanation for my reasoning. The comment was more bothersome because we perceive children or people younger than us for how old they are, not for what or who they are.

 We make their age as the criteria for most of the things. Not their ability, or experience. Things that should be the actual criteria. It happens to a lot of people. Young people. They are people after all.

Since I was so annoyed by Indonesia’s comment, my attention went only to the kid’s audacity. Even then, he did so well, that his performance couldn’t be neglected.

I do not encourage children or kids to make unnecessary rude statements. I believe that it could have been something just said in the moment without much thought. Something that could have been done by anyone. However, I do encourage children to take part in activities, if possible and willing, that they are generally called too young for. Now, I’m not talking about driving or something like that.

I’m talking about times when the kid wasn’t allowed to help his parents, including the budgeting. Tell them to give him a chance.

People say that students my age are too young to work in offices but that’s not true. I have myself worked in a call center for a whole week. Not to mention it was draining. But I did work. So what if it was my dad’s office🤨? Being his office would only favor me to sit there. That wouldn’t help in calling the customers. But I did make some sales. And it wasn’t because of his office. It was because of me. And guess what? I am not too young to do it.

Whoever tells you, that you are too young to do it. Don’t tell them that you can. Show them that you can.