What is Maturity?
From a 12 year old’s perspective…
One fine day, many years back, me and my young cousins were jumping up and down on the spring bed at our grandfather's home, We were having the time of our lives, laughing aloud, hitting each other with pillows, making a mess, and suddenly, hearing the ruckus, my grandmother came into the room and scolded me, for leading the kids into doing this, (the blame had to be put on someone and since i was the eldest, i became the victim).. She took me aside, and told me that I was supposed to behave maturely, cos I was the eldest in the group... I was maybe 12 years old then, and my cousins were 6, 5 and 3... As time passes, and you grow up, people expect you to be mature, and sometimes, being mature comes at a cost, (especially if you're the eldest child) …
Remembering the time when we were kids, I remember how even the stupidest joke was enough to make us roar with laughter, But now, when you hear a silly joke, and you feel laughter rising inside, You stifle it, cos you're worried that the people around you may find you immature and silly... So you keep a straight face, keep silent, and keep the laughter confined to the boundaries of your mind... and you suffocate the kid inside you by not letting that laughter out, (No wonder serious people have pressure, cholesterol and all that stuff) I remember those days, when making a silly face, or cracking a stupid joke was enough reason to roll on the ground laughing, jumping up and down on the spring bed and playing pillow fight was real fun, Those were the happiest moments one could have as a kid... But when you're grown up, and you feel like saying or doing stupid, silly things, you refrain from doing it cos you're around a bunch of straight faced, serious, "so called - MATURE" people, who are not aware of the joy which the simple things in life can give... they have forgotten to laugh and smile over the small, silly things in life...cos it's all about money to them..and unfortunately, you can't blame them, cos you're after the same thing... Today, many of us are focused on more important things, we are all victims of the rat race of life. We run after higher positions at the workplace, burning the midnight oil to score better at exams to get admission in the best university, working hard to make that promotion or raise happen, so that you can buy that fancy new cellphone that just came out, or maybe a better car... There's nothing wrong with all of this, I mean, its human to want the better things in life and strive for it... And after we get it, are we happy? The answer is a big NO !
Have we forgotten to take time to enjoy those simple things in life? Those times, where a smile from a loved one used to warm our hearts, laughing with our friends over stupid jokes was an instant vacation, when the sight of a simple home cooked meal was enough to fill both our tummies and our minds, those nights when we could sleep on our beds without worrying about tomorrow's problems...those small incidents in life used to make us truly happy… I think we have moved on, to better and more sophisticated things, Today, it's all about the latest computer OS that was released, the newest mobile app which came out. And today, when face to face conversations have been substituted by Skype calls over the internet, you are content with watching them on a computer screen, rather than take the pain to go and meet them. And you start getting used to it. What we don't realize is that by bringing them close to us through a computer, we stop missing them, and you get too lazy to go and meet them, it's actually taking them far from us..I think that the time is not far when people will watch funerals over the internet.... In those carefree teenage days, we were all eager to grow up, make money and start living... and now that we are all here, it feels "vacant" inside. This is the Mt. Everest which you were sooo impatient to conquer, and when you look around, it's all empty...it feels vacant inside… Sure, it does feel nice to have some money in your pocket so that you can buy a meal on your own, or buy something for yourself or for your loved ones. But things are not the same anymore... I'm not saying that you should act like a kid in all situations of your life, I guess that being mature really means analyzing the situation and behaving appropriately as it demands... Don't tell your kid to act mature, just because he/she did something silly or stupid. They are kids, let them enjoy being silly, let them do stupid things, don't scold and take the innocence out of them, cos if you do, they will grow up taking life too seriously and end up not having a childhood at all... I guess it's the reality of life getting to my head, I don’t know…
