Maturity.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
- Bryan White
Personally, I believe that maturity is a very important attribute to have. However, I also believe the antecedent quote is true and no matter your age maturity is not a given. I agree that maturity and age are not synonymous. I know I'm only 17 and I probably don't grasp the full understanding of being 'mature' but I do have an opinion on the word. As soon as I left high school, I moved out of home to the city on my own. Yep, on my own. I don't live with any family or have a housemate it's just me. I feel as though this meant that I needed to become less immature and 'teenagery' or, as the quote says, learn how to act in public. Since I last blogged I've made the decision to drop out of university up here and move to a university 3 and a half hours (by plane) away. At the moment I am studying my Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English, minoring in Gender Studies) externally and am moving in June, I've never been more petrified! This comes down to my lack of maturity and experience but I don't think I am going to be able to handle leaving my close family and friends from here. I'm not good with goodbyes, even if I know that I will see them soon. I'm immature like that and it's fine. I'm okay with the fact that I can't deal with confrontation or that I am (initially) very shy or that sometimes I can act extremely childish. It makes me who I am. When it comes to relationships (not just romantic) maturity goes hand in hand with quite a few other attributes. For example, trust. Maturity influences someones ability to understand commitment and the level of trust and dependability required in a relationship. Another is forgiveness. For me, forgiveness is a characteristic (when combined with maturity) required for a successful long-term relationship, again not just romantic ones. Further, maturity comes with being able to set realistic expectations, not just of yourself but of others as well. My reasoning behind this post is because at this point in my life when I am in that awkward phase between highly-impressionable-teenager and an "adult". I use the word adult in inverted commas because, well, what defines an adult? In this awkward stage that I'm in right now I have become very aware of people's actions around me and their levels of maturity (that sounds harsh and rude but I hope you understand what I mean.) Becoming aware of this attribute (or lack of) in some of my friends has made me realise how important maturity is. [Is this making any sense or should I put this glass of wine away and reword this with a clear head?] I've realised now that because I am learning how to act in public a lot of the people I hang around are still very "immature". I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with this at all! But, personally I value maturity in someone. Maturity is knowing when are appropriate times to joke around or when you need to be serious and in control of a situation. Maturity is something that develops over time and comes with being able to internally assess particular situations and how you are expected to act in those.
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