It probably will be futile to learn exactly when the word ADULT became a verb, as well as a noun and an adjective...but…
I have been reading various references to the newly discovered practice of “adulting” for quite a while now. Perhaps I’m late in the game in saying so, but what is now termed adulting bears a close resemblance to what used to be seen as simply “doing one’s duty.”
Now that I am officially a “senior citizen” in every conceivable age-wise sense, I may safely engage in that time-honored practice of bemoaning the newest generation of homo sapiens as having it “nowhere as hard as my generation had it.” Thanks in advance for bearing with me.
When I left the carefree days of home and hearth behind me and ventured to a far-off world of college life and what lay beyond, it was with a spirit of great anticipation as well as a certain degree of fear. But I guess what chiefly characterized my attitude was DETERMINATION. It was a deep desire to prove myself worthy and able to face the challenges that lay ahead, hopefully without begging for help from my parents.
Don’t get me wrong. I had a profound love for my mom and dad. So profound, in fact, that I longed for them to be proud of me--proud, primarily, that they had raised a son who was ready to take on the world by himself! I guess I had read enough rags-to-riches stories and watched enough films featuring two-fisted protagonists facing fearsome foes, that I wanted to prove myself tough enough to survive as a full-fledged adult as soon as possible.
Probably most of the credit for this determinism streak could be given to my upbringing, in which both parents were hard-working and committed, both to their family and their jobs, not to mention our church, where we were all involved. The ideas of honest sweat and serious effort were not so much taught as they were “caught” by observing and following mom and dad’s examples.
So, as the months and years went by at college, and then my engagement at twenty and my entry into marriage a year later, somewhere in there I had crossed--largely unnoticed--into the status of adulthood! And the older adults in my life gradually began to TREAT me as an adult, as I took on the various expected DUTIES that productive maturity entails.
Another key aspect of this transition is the understanding that 1: Things that are worthwhile and lasting in value are worth your strenuous effort and perseverance; and, 2: There is pleasure and a sense of proud accomplishment in reaching those goals.
I had a pretty clear idea of where I was headed in those early years, and although my wife and I had to make adjustments along the way, with counsel from others, lots of soul searching and prayer, and by the grace of God, we sought to do our best, in doing our duty. The path we came to follow was not arrow-straight, or always easy, but there were moments of solid commitment that helped us see things through.
And maybe that factor, COMMITMENT, is one that seems to be lacking in younger people that I observe in today’s world. Perhaps because there are so many more distractions and sources of amusement out there for them. Perhaps too many options to be “kept open” to settle on one path or the other. But, to me, committing to a single ideal and “going for it” no matter what, is the key to entering into true adulthood.
Because it is almost impossible to steer your vessel on the ocean of life, if it isn’t moving forward. Get going SOMEWHERE, and soon you’ll find that your adulthood--your duties--will find YOU!
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