Being "Adult"

[HollowedPumkinz]

Oh the ever lasting conundrum that is "Adult-hood" that plagues the minds of tweens and young teenagers alike. Yet, for the life of me, I can't see how one doesn't understand how to "grow up". They beg to be treated like adults, they wish it so yet don't realize that it is something they must change in themselves and I am left pondering how dense a person could be that they would not realize sooner that the line between childhood and adult is merely and simply imaginary.

One easily recognizable part of the human condition is the life long goal of self improvement both social and physical. And according to all I know of some young people, they fervently believe that in order to improve both social and physical status, they must "grow up". But do they not realize that by merely recognizing the difference of child and adult, they trick themselves into believing that such a thing ever existed in the first place? There is no real or tangible difference in a child and adult, rather, that such boundaries are created in our heads to give the illusion of maturity and that therefore, a certain mark can be passed at a certain age to ascertain such maturity and become the ever glorified adult.

Becoming adult is not a goal, it can't be reached at a certain age, it is something we must choose ourselves to become. How do you define that which does not exist? Well believe it or not, the general population found a way and expect you to follow it to the letter in order to become so, that is, become adult. According to general speculation, one becomes adult when they "mature" (a falser word I have not found and one with equally ambiguous definitions), are able to become self sufficient and also follow certain status quos that make one an acceptable member of society. According to the Government, it is merely when you reach the age of 18. Both definitions are ultimately superficial, yes, even the prior one that many believe to be the "deeper" meaning to becoming adult.

I ultimately and fervently believe that there is no such thing as adulthood or childhood. That those older than us simply put such thing in our heads to keep us respectful of our elders even after we became able to fend and think for ourselves.

I know what you're thinking. That I am wrong because, clearly, those who are 8 can not be compared to those who are 38. Yet, when you truly look at when you were 8 until what you are now, what changed? What miraculous occurrence rendered you liberated from the shackles of noogies and cooties? The answer is: Nothing. Nothing has changed. It is merely that we hide now which what we had once openly expressed as children. All that selfishness, all that immaturity, the insensibleness, what happened to those? Nothing. They still reside inside you, but deeper inside you, caked under years of social forming and etiquette.

It is not that we have changed, but that we became experts at repressing our feelings to defer to the status quo. That is the true trick to "growing up", repressing your emotions until you are so well controlled you hardly feel them. Indignation be damned! I rather bury such things than reveal to others my true intent! When we accept this as fact, that is when you are "mature", that is when you follow your orders, you do what you're told, not because you want to, secretly, we all wish to return to the state of being able to do and say what we please, but because the society formed by our elders demands that we repress such urges for the sake of evolving into such sagely beings that free us from our restrictions or as it is more commonly referred to: becoming "adult".

[gearsofwhore]

Being adult means being able to support yourself without sucking on the teet and actually making responsible choices by saving your money. I know some adults that don't even classify as adults because they are still too impulsive and cant make smart decisions on their own.

[MultiCanimefan]

Yes, being an "adult" goes beyond the physical and biological.

[Kasperkain]

At 3/26/12 12:51 AM, gearsofwhore wrote: Being adult means being able to support yourself without sucking on the teet and actually making responsible choices by saving your money. I know some adults that don't even classify as adults because they are still too impulsive and cant make smart decisions on their own.

Amen to that brother!

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 3/26/12 12:51 AM, gearsofwhore wrote: Being adult means being able to support yourself without sucking on the teet and actually making responsible choices by saving your money. I know some adults that don't even classify as adults because they are still too impulsive and cant make smart decisions on their own.

So you virtually ignored my entire post and left a superficial definition of adult-hood that I essentially already covered in the OP?

secretly rages

That's ok, It's all good.

see how adult I am?

[gearsofwhore]

Yeah i apologize man just get a little lazy late at night, im sure your post was great and all but if there was a tl;dr I mightve offered a halfass response. Sorry didn't mean to make u rage but glad that you are adult enough to ignore my stupidity. Good luck with this thread.

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 3/26/12 01:24 AM, gearsofwhore wrote: Yeah i apologize man just get a little lazy late at night, im sure your post was great and all but if there was a tl;dr I mightve offered a halfass response. Sorry didn't mean to make u rage but glad that you are adult enough to ignore my stupidity. Good luck with this thread.

Ha, yeah, in all seriousness I was just trying to make a point. In reality, I realize the futility of hoping for an intelligent response from almost anyone on General. Anything exceeding two paragraphs generally gets ignored. It's like Tl;Dr's are essential now-a-days and even at that, if it isn't something that can easily be understood and related to, expect to get single digit responses if any at all.

[HollowedPumkinz]

Actually, I realize that perhaps my philosophical out look on it may be a bit far stretched, so I'll offer my definition of Adulthood as can be applied to most situations:

Adulthood is the acquisition of maturity and responsibility, it is much more of an attitude rather than an age. Maturity can generally be defined (although mostly ambiguously) as being able to defer to others' wishes without allowing your pride or selfishness to intervene with your decision making abilities. Self reliance and determination also make for a great part of this as well. In order to be adult, you have to realize the gravity of the situation and act in accordance with an appropriate response. Sometimes the situation may not call for a serious solution, sometimes it's more about choosing the needed thing rather than what is right or wanted. This being said, sacrifice is also important. That is the creed of most adults, do what is needed. Be it paying rent or quitting a job you like or simply getting a job at all. You must do what you must do.

Of course, all these things tie back to what I was speaking of in the OP. How even this mostly correct definition still revolves around simply deferring to others and doing what is needed rather than what is right. It is essentially self repression and therefore, being untrue to yourself. However, do to social pressures, such things are a necessity to live by. A necessary evil, if you will.

[DevinArcane]

From what I understand, growing up simply paying bills and "taking responsibility" for your actions.

It's the fact that these two things have no quantifiable quality that I will always consider myself a kid.

[Chocomilk]

At 3/26/12 03:19 AM, DevinArcane wrote: From what I understand, growing up simply paying bills and "taking responsibility" for your actions.

It's the fact that these two things have no quantifiable quality that I will always consider myself a kid.

Exactly, even if you are mature for your age and act like an adult, the truth is that until you are at a certain age and start taking on certain responsibilities society will still treat you like a kid.

People strive to reach a point in their lives where they attain certain rights and respect, they don't think one day they're going to wake up and suddenly have an opinion about what they used to let the adults worry about.

[Swag-in-a-Bag]

Your're not an adult until your're paying bills

[Lintire]

Who thinks about their 8-year old self and thinks anything other then "God, I was a fucking idiot"?

[Scarface]

At 3/26/12 12:51 AM, gearsofwhore wrote: Being adult means being able to support yourself without sucking on the teet and actually making responsible choices by saving your money. I know some adults that don't even classify as adults because they are still too impulsive and cant make smart decisions on their own.

^This^

Fuck all the Facebook whores who want their parents to treat them like an adult because they "aint' a kid no more".

[SKHM]

At 3/26/12 06:46 AM, Lintire wrote: Who thinks about their 8-year old self and thinks anything other then "God, I was a fucking idiot"?

i was a pretty well-rounded individual at eight-years old

speak for yourself

[Lintire]

At 3/26/12 06:51 AM, SKHM wrote: i was a pretty well-rounded individual at eight-years old

speak for yourself

I was hoping someone would say this.

Now think about it this way: is having not particularly changed from your 8-year self anything but horrible.

[Silverdust]

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." - 1 Cor. 13:11

Or woman. It applies to us both.

[Wurfel-Waffles]

At 3/26/12 06:50 AM, Scarface wrote:

At 3/26/12 12:51 AM, gearsofwhore wrote: Being adult means being able to support yourself without sucking on the teet and actually making responsible choices by saving your money. I know some adults that don't even classify as adults because they are still too impulsive and cant make smart decisions on their own.

^This^

Double this. Life is hard. You gotta be smart and responsible for ya adulthood. Fit it right.

[Gario]

At 3/26/12 12:47 AM, HollowedPumkinz wrote: I know what you're thinking. That I am wrong because, clearly, those who are 8 can not be compared to those who are 38. Yet, when you truly look at when you were 8 until what you are now, what changed? What miraculous occurrence rendered you liberated from the shackles of noogies and cooties? The answer is: Nothing. Nothing has changed. It is merely that we hide now which what we had once openly expressed as children. All that selfishness, all that immaturity, the insensibleness, what happened to those? Nothing. They still reside inside you, but deeper inside you, caked under years of social forming and etiquette.

No, actually there's a physical difference in the brain which restricts a child from critical thought until adolescence (the actual age the child reaches that point ranges from 12-14 years old). That is, until a child hits that age, they cannot physically think outside whatever established rules for themselves until after some point when they become a teenager.

Why 18? Dunno - that number IS artificial. The human mind has all it's own barriers removed after they're capable of critical thought, and the physical body doesn't stop growing and changing until the age 25. The stuff you're talking about is nonsense, though, since children are literally incapable of using their brain in the same manner as an adult does.

[yurgenburgen]

At 3/26/12 06:46 AM, Lintire wrote: Who thinks about their 8-year old self and thinks anything other then "God, I was a fucking idiot"?

Actually I thought that about other eight-year-olds, not myself, when I was eight.