The Uniqueness Of Age And Maturity

When it comes to issues relating to maturity and age they are quite different. Many use age as a yardstick in measuring the maturity level of an individual. The fact is that age has nothing to do with maturity. Although as each day passes by and one begins to grow older people do expect one should have attained some level of maturity of which is not true.

When talking about an increase in age, it is accompanied by physical growth, which includes an increase in weight and size. It is also expected that as we increase in age, we should also grow mentally, which entails knowing what is right and wrong.

The attribute of a minor i.e. babies. They totally depend on their parent for their basic needs which include food, clothes, shelter, and more. Likewise, we have adults who act this way. They hardly do things for themselves they are mainly dependent on others. This is where the place of maturity comes in, when an individual is not reasoning or taking action corresponding to his or her age, such person is said to be "immature".

In my country, an individual from age 18 and above is no longer referred to as minor. This is because at this point in once life, one is expected to have started making life decisions, knowing what is good or bad, and being able to make concrete decisions on your own. To me, I believe that age is not too soon for an individual to be classified as an adult. In fact, the age range for being categorized as an adult which is being used in my country is okay. At the age of 18 years, most individuals at this age have completed their secondary school education and have started planning to go to higher institutions to further their education. Here at this junction is where you choose your career path. At this stage, there should be a level of maturity that should be displayed when handling life issues.

How do you know an individual who is mature and who is not mature? The major difference is their way of reasoning, thinking, and taking action relating to life issues.

A conversation came up recently where I was discussing with some set of people. We are discussing about money-related issues and I asked them what will they do if someone gave them 10,000 dollars each. The first person who was age 35 replied me by saying he would go to the best boutique in town and buy himself expensive clothes and shoes and he would travel out of the country and spend the rest in a luxurious restaurant. I was so disappointed with his reply. The second person who was age 17 replied me by telling me he would use the money to invest in a business and he began to share his business ideas. I was amazed at such an intelligent reply he gave.

The first person's reply was really immature and this shows the level of his maturity while 2nd person replied in a mature manner. If I will judge them based on their reply, I will say the 17 year old boy is more mature than the 35years old man.

In conclusion, Maturity is not based on age but on the level of reasoning when it comes to handling life issues.

All images used are mine

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