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Sleepyjack · 11-09-2003, 09:22 AM

First off, this is kinda long, sorry.

Anyway, I find this really interesting. To coincide with a month to go until my birthday, i started writing this thread yesterday. However, while i was still musing some ideas of my post, i came across this posted by diddagirl. On a side note, i must admit, like most other guys, i sometimes read stuff in the ladies lounge

I had written most of what is below before i read the post, and i decided not to post it in the end. Although i ended up saving it anyway (in a word doc) in case i wanted to review it later for my own humour/amusement/interest. Although i found it quite coincidental that i read such a post just when i was writing something quite similar about my own confusion.

Anyway, below is what i had written yesterday

****************************************
At the moment i am in a delicate balance in my life. Although i guess it is quite superficial, in that i am 19 ( a teenager) and will turn 20 (an adult) in december. I am also a little scared by this, for some reason? mainly cause my friends just say it sucks to be 20. I know that on the eve of the birthday and then my birthday, i will be the same (hopefully ) but i am still scared nevertheless, but it's just a number! or is it?

I know it isn't right or true to quantify maturity by our age, but a lot of the time, in justifying my actions and thinking about what i've done, my age always comes into play. eg, i shouldn't do such and such because i am this age or it's alright do that cause i am this age etc

This seems to happen a lot as well. Mainly i remember it in high school, although i guess that's where the largest amount of change can occur over such a short time due to puberty etc.
eg "you're seniors now, you shouldn't be doing that!. I expect better of you" etc

This also seems (to me) to happen here as well. Although there's only a difference of 1 year, as a means of perception and expectation of what you should be doing at this age (20) seems different to a teenager. Whereas, 19, you're still a teenager so it doesn't matter and you sorta get lumped with 16-19 year olds. I guess it's softened a little, cause little is changing in my life, other than my age. In that, i am going to uni for another year, so i don't feel like i need to change anything drastically in order to make me feel like 20 or anything. So for the minute all i am concerned with is the dreaded number.....

I imagine quite a few people may feel something like this, when they turn over a decade (ie 29-30, 39-40 etc) as you suddenly have a new expectation of how you should be more mature or another expectation of where your life should be at, cause you're this age, even though you may not be.

This may sound superfluous, but i can't help think about my age and what may be appropriate things to do now, by seeing where other people my age are at or sometimes what "society" at a whole generally expects someone my age to be at, in some term of maturity. This is interesting, cause i normally couldn't care less about what other people think about me, or conform to norms in society. Although this seems to be an exception/anomaly, although it's generally just a natural part of evolution. And i guess we all evolve differently, so it shouldn't matter so much.

My main question is how important do you see age as, in defining where you should be at in life. There is some degree of expectation, too often i am hearing stuff like you're so old so you should or shouldn't be doing this and that.
Sometimes you start questioning yourself, like should i still be living at home, now i am so old.
Should i stop watching some stupid tv show cause i am this old.
Should i take more interest in politics or soemthing cause i am this old.
should i... and so on
so many questions i keep asking myself.......

***************************************

In that "20somethings" post i learnt some valuable information that really helped me get over my main problem. Sometimes in times of confusion i can't really see the simple things and i analyse stuff so much. Although it was put simply:
My advice to you sleepyjack is enjoy the present and your youth....dont try and hang on to it and deny the inevitable...just enjoy what is now- pure and simple.

For the most part, the 20 is just a number, it doesn't mean much to me as a person anyway. I am who i am and when i am, i shouldn't try to be anything else.

somehow i had forgotten all of that?
worrying and fretting too much and now i am at ease. Especially after listen to some apt music as well!

That said, in order to validate this a post where others can input etc, what do you think about how your age defines you or what it means to you? how important is it to you?

ok, i think that's it

also, sorry for the discontinutiy and such in the writing, thats sorta how i think

11-09-2003, 09:22 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sleepyjack Fast'n'Bulbous Location: Australia, Perth	Age Definition First off, this is kinda long, sorry. Anyway, I find this really interesting. To coincide with a month to go until my birthday, i started writing this thread yesterday. However, while i was still musing some ideas of my post, i came across this posted by diddagirl. On a side note, i must admit, like most other guys, i sometimes read stuff in the ladies lounge I had written most of what is below before i read the post, and i decided not to post it in the end. Although i ended up saving it anyway (in a word doc) in case i wanted to review it later for my own humour/amusement/interest. Although i found it quite coincidental that i read such a post just when i was writing something quite similar about my own confusion. Anyway, below is what i had written yesterday ************************************** At the moment i am in a delicate balance in my life. Although i guess it is quite superficial, in that i am 19 ( a teenager) and will turn 20 (an adult) in december. I am also a little scared by this, for some reason? mainly cause my friends just say it sucks to be 20. I know that on the eve of the birthday and then my birthday, i will be the same (hopefully ) but i am still scared nevertheless, but it's just a number! or is it? I know it isn't right or true to quantify maturity by our age, but a lot of the time, in justifying my actions and thinking about what i've done, my age always comes into play. eg, i shouldn't do such and such because i am this age or it's alright do that cause i am this age etc This seems to happen a lot as well. Mainly i remember it in high school, although i guess that's where the largest amount of change can occur over such a short time due to puberty etc. eg "you're seniors now, you shouldn't be doing that!. I expect better of you" etc This also seems (to me) to happen here as well. Although there's only a difference of 1 year, as a means of perception and expectation of what you should be doing at this age (20) seems different to a teenager. Whereas, 19, you're still a teenager so it doesn't matter and you sorta get lumped with 16-19 year olds. I guess it's softened a little, cause little is changing in my life, other than my age. In that, i am going to uni for another year, so i don't feel like i need to change anything drastically in order to make me feel like 20 or anything. So for the minute all i am concerned with is the dreaded number..... I imagine quite a few people may feel something like this, when they turn over a decade (ie 29-30, 39-40 etc) as you suddenly have a new expectation of how you should be more mature or another expectation of where your life should be at, cause you're this age, even though you may not be. This may sound superfluous, but i can't help think about my age and what may be appropriate things to do now, by seeing where other people my age are at or sometimes what "society" at a whole generally expects someone my age to be at, in some term of maturity. This is interesting, cause i normally couldn't care less about what other people think about me, or conform to norms in society. Although this seems to be an exception/anomaly, although it's generally just a natural part of evolution. And i guess we all evolve differently, so it shouldn't matter so much. My main question is how important do you see age as, in defining where you should be at in life. There is some degree of expectation, too often i am hearing stuff like you're so old so you should or shouldn't be doing this and that. Sometimes you start questioning yourself, like should i still be living at home, now i am so old. Should i stop watching some stupid tv show cause i am this old. Should i take more interest in politics or soemthing cause i am this old. should i... and so on so many questions i keep asking myself....... ************************************* In that "20somethings" post i learnt some valuable information that really helped me get over my main problem. Sometimes in times of confusion i can't really see the simple things and i analyse stuff so much. Although it was put simply: My advice to you sleepyjack is enjoy the present and your youth....dont try and hang on to it and deny the inevitable...just enjoy what is now- pure and simple. For the most part, the 20 is just a number, it doesn't mean much to me as a person anyway. I am who i am and when i am, i shouldn't try to be anything else. somehow i had forgotten all of that? worrying and fretting too much and now i am at ease. Especially after listen to some apt music as well! That said, in order to validate this a post where others can input etc, what do you think about how your age defines you or what it means to you? how important is it to you? ok, i think that's it also, sorry for the discontinutiy and such in the writing, thats sorta how i think Last edited by Sleepyjack; 11-09-2003 at 09:32 AM..