i think what "being an adult" boils down too is three parts. self awareness, responsibility for actions, and experience of life. and two of three of those are taught, which is also interesting
Living in such a society as that of modern times, many people have often come to believe that the gap between the adult and the child is vast and expansive. But nothing could be farther from the truth.
What separates a man from a child isn’t the sole age of an individual, but responsibility to own one’s actions.
Benjamin Franklin himself once said in Poor Richard’s Almanac, “How few there are who have the courage enough to own their own faults, or resolution enough to mend them! Men differ daily, about things which are subject to sense, is it likely then they should agree about things invisible?”
Truer words have never been spoken in regards to adulthood, as many works of fiction have pictured adulthood as the greatest of achievements, wherein one must undertake a rigorous and systematic rite of passage. These are often portrayed as losing one’s virginity, their innocence, and gaining independence and strength through intellectual and physical empowerment.
These are all but a means to an end, an end, that is adulthood, that can never be achieved by these means.
One cannot measure one’s maturity in strength of body, but also of strength of mind and spirit.
The gap between the child and the adult is no wider than a crack on the sidewalk, perhaps even thinner.
The child who takes responsibility for his faults and desires to mend them has attained a higher understanding of adulthood than the adult who refuses to take responsibility for his actions and rather, blames his own children, burdening them for a fault not their own.
It is maddening; the enormity of lengths people , let alone adults who children have looked up to, will go to cover up a petty fault, even if it costs the lives of others.
If a parent be named a guardian, is it not proper and right that they ought to act as such?
Those who wish to become a parent for its own sake have already failed in being a parent and forsaken their role. For their children are not theirs to rule over, but theirs to guide, to pass on knowledge.
The greatest tragedy one can imagine is when the victim becomes the transgressor, and passes their own childhood trauma; their inner demons to the next generation.
The journey to transcend eternal adolescence in the face of adult neglect and maltreatment is seldom easy, as many of them have come to fear responsibility as a burden, as they were burdened with responsibilities not their own, but from the cowardly and the selfish. Fear not. Responsibility is not a burden, but an obstacle, much like a mountain, owning responsibility is owning the trail you climb. It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
If you tire, fear not, be attentive to yourself; as many great mentors have before. Seek truth from the lies of worldly men and find comfort from your suffering. It is not a weakness but a necessity.
Youth of the world, pay no mind nor manner to those who accuse you of being unmanly, for their tongues are poisoned with ignorance, and in their lack of knowledge fare no better than the hypocrite.
If we adults of the world refuse to treat children as people, it is likely they will never grow up to be people.
So let our generation bridge the gap that separates understanding between child and adult, and establish a trust between one another, for our children are not mere laborers, nor are they manservants, but they are our last hope to preserve that which we cherish in this world.