What’s the deal with School Reunions?
Have you ever attended a school reunion? Have you been in a situation where you have met old pals from 10 or 20 years ago? If you have then let me ask you a question….
The first thing that everyone asks is ‘What are you doing now?’ – Are you honest or do you embellish your role or position within a company? Do you speak first or do you wait until others speak and match or exceed what they are doing? Or do you simply not care?
I was at such an event recently and it struck me how extraordinary it was that everyone was so successful, had such responsible roles and were doing so well, especially given the last five years we have seen in our economy.
It could be that those who are not that successful shy away from reunions for this very reason. Meeting people that you went to school with can transport you back 20 years in seconds and your brain tricks you into thinking you are still there, old grudges come back to haunt you and all the negative comments from peers and teachers bounce around in your head kick starting some sort of inferiority complex. You may have been bright and popular at school and do not have school related insecurities and cannot identify with this scenario, but I bet that most people can.
What starts out as a – oh I will go to that it will be great to catch up with such and such, quickly reverts you back to the spotty unsure teenager who teachers said would amount to nothing. I think it is for this reason that there is a temptation to exaggerate and decorate a very ordinary and mundane life. It is that mentality of I am not the person you said I would be. It was probably reverse psychology and it worked!
There is a reason you have not seen these people for twenty years and there is a chance you won’t see them for another twenty so to create an enhanced scenario of your life seems harmless enough.
You may be an honest person and do not fall in with any of the game playing that this environment can foster. If you are – how do you feel, are you amused by these mind games? Do you feel inferior in any way or do you simply not take it that seriously?
Funny anecdotes welcome…..
