What does it mean to be an adult? How will I know when I have achieved adulthood? Will I wake up one morning and know, "starting right now, I am an adult," and will I then feel and act like an adult for the rest of my life? Given that, being only 16 years old, I have not crossed that threshold, so I can only speculate as to what it will be like.
Sometimes there is a specific moment or event that marks or causes the progression form childhood to adulthood, but many times there is not. In some cultures there is a ceremony that signifies becoming an adult, but in the culture I am part of, it is different for everyone. For some, it is leaving for college. For others, it is having freedom to decide what to do when. For many, it is being financially independent from parents or other superiors. But does there have to be an event? Can I just slowly transition to being an adult without a ceremony or monumental moment? If so, how will I know that I have become an adult?
What does being an adult mean? Is it being able to make logical decisions about your life? It is acting mature all the time? Is it just having a developed, educated mind? Let's go back to the decision-making and maturity idea. When I'm an adult will I feel as if I have the maturity required to make life-changing decisions? Will it all just be a "grown-up" facade? I feel like I'm asking a lot of questions, but that is because I don't know. I am not an adult yet, I don't think, so I have no idea how I will know when I am. Coming of age can take so many forms, it's very complicated.
I agree with you in that the meaning of "adult" is very amorphous. People call it "coming of age", but what age are you coming of? Are those ceremonies merely a tradition and not an adequate representation of the transition to adulthood? I definitely agree that there are a lot of unanswered things about becoming an adult. When do you truly know you have grown up?
ReplyDeleteI also contemplated what key moments really define coming-of-age in our society. It seems like although there are certain events which measure the maturity and age of developing teenagers, maybe we have shifted to more of a mentality of adulthood which suggests "being an adult" consists of "acting mature" all the time, and making decisions for oneself, rather than achieving one specific goal or hitting a key landmark of development which is easily identifiable.
ReplyDeleteYour questions are very provoking and raise good points that should be used to analyze the characters we come across in this semesters books. I find COA and becoming an adult extremely convoluted but also incredibly intriguing. Everyone is different, and everyone enters and exits this concept differently, yet we are regularly pushed through obstacles and societal norms to conform our character and behaviors. Interesting post, it made me think alot!
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