so the question was raised in one of my classes the other day: when do we become adults? is there a definite start to this process, or is it a malleable, understood boundary that we just accept because others have told us it's true?
there were many different answers to this question. some said an absolute age, like 21. if that's the case, then i only have a solid 6 months left until i become an adult? oh no, please, i hardly deserve such malicious treatment. plus, drinking alcohol in no way qualifies anyone as an adult. others said that certain milestones in one's life will make a child blossom into adulthood. situations like the first time you truly fall in love, going off to fight a war that you may know nothing about, earning your first paycheck and then writing it off on your first bill. i know plenty of children who have gone through these things not because they wanted to, but because they had to. does having the ability to choose to go through one of these events make one an adult?
i guess then the next question would be what is adulthood after all? responsibility. self sufficiency. maturity. morals and values. knowing right from wrong, good from evil. i'm pretty sure that i know these things now, so how will i know when i have become an adult? in that particular class, i don't think we came up with an answer to these questions, but they made me wonder. i've seen all kinds of people around me, from children who have been forced to grow up too quickly to adults who have yet to take their lives into their own hands.
as for me, i don't know when i'll become that adult who everyone expects me to become. i may know a few things, but there are many more that i need to know and, more importantly, experience. about myself and about this world that i live in. i'm just satisfied with the knowledge that i'm not ready to be that person just yet. and when i am, i'll know.
for now, i'll just continue to pretend to work as i update this blog. me, an adult? yea, ok.
No comments:
Post a Comment