What is it like to be an adult? What does it mean to be an adult? We are repeatedly told by our elders to act according to our age. There seems to be a certain narrative, certain expectations about how individuals of a certain age should act.
The transition from a co-dependent person to an autonomous one is complicated. How they navigate this stage of life is a story to be told in itself. One needs to have significant capacity and capability to undergo it. This path can follow any turn; it can make a person hostile and a prisoner of desire, or it can transform one into a blooming asset for society.
A study suggests that six out of every ten adults are usually short-tempered and rude in their responses. Many are hesitant to talk to someone. Some refuse to even address the issue.
We can’t dichotomize this issue and take sides, which is often what people do. Rationalizing differences and respectfully ending controversy should be the way forward. It is repeatedly said that young people are argumentative, naive, and arrogant. It can be true for some, but most of us are still discovering the world and don’t possess the caliber to process a lot of the information around us.
But I also rebuke the notion that when you recognize the morality of your actions, it can be said that you’re an adult. Some perceive you as an adult when you’re financially independent or have a good amount of knowledge about society and social norms. In our country, wisdom is measured through age. I don’t believe it because one can’t ‘justify’ one’s adulthood. While what is perceived as adulthood depends on social norms, these are constantly evolving.
Writers attempt to explain it; they make it philosophical and complicated. The fact that so many people have written about this transition is a testimony to the importance of this matter. This transition is quite memorable for everyone. At this age, your hormones are at their pinnacle. You have a new perspective on everything. You have an opinion on every subject. You want to interact with people but also increasingly enjoy solitude. In all this chaos, the intruding morality on every subject needlessly complicates things.
During this time, we lament no one understands us. What people tend to do is alienate themselves from others. Perhaps due to a fear of abandonment or because they don’t want to be judged, which results in them becoming secretive. Which is not such a good thing.
rather than putting a leash on our thoughts and emotions, we should set our thoughts, beliefs, boundaries, and perspectives in front of people. We should be more expressive with what we experience, and maybe that will make this mysterious world a little less strange.
J.D Salinger writes in this book ‘The Catcher In The Rye’, “You’ll find that you’re not the first one who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior”. Perhaps the utmost thing to do is to acknowledge that we all feel the same way and are on the same page. We have similar emotions and those emotions are felt the same way all over the world.
Firas Mujeeb
Class IX