By Matthew Campbell
We all know what maturity is. The thing your parents never thought you would have. The amount of maturity you have is always gaged by someone else. This past week I pondered what it means to be mature in high school. More and more adults are complementing me on my maturity, but why?
Granted, I am definitely not the same person I was two years ago. But why am I suddenly mature? Is it just because I am older? No. I know plenty of people who are 18 and they are definitely not “mature”. So what is it? There were only two possibilities I could think of.
Perhaps as we get older we learn how to act properly for adult liking. We have played their game long enough and now we are finally good at. The other explanation is that as we age we wear our experience on our face.
This can be interpreted literally and figuratively. Literally as you age you may gain make up, facial hair, or even wrinkles. Your experience can be figuratively seen through your emotions. Your eyes carry all what you have seen. Your mouth, all what you have said. Your face as a whole carries all the emotions you have expressed.
The more you go through as an individual the more there is to carry. At this stage in high school there are kids at all different stages. Some have experienced more than others for better or for worse. Personally I would say I have experienced a lot as a high school senior.
Maybe that’s why to my auntie it looks like I’m “such a mature young man”. I did not ask for this. I did not plan on growing up and losing my childish reputation. It just happened. All I ask from my like 3 readers this week is to reminisce. Reminisce in the thoughts of how far you have come as an individual. There has been a lot. For those who have frankly not come so far yet reminisce in the moment because it will be those little moments that will be easily forgotten.
Have a happy Monday.