Maturity

[Gaze]

I agree.

Would you say that some people exhibit ranging levels of maturity in different areas of their lives, or that true maturity is a level of wisdom, attitude, and perspective that permeates across all areas of one's life?

Wow, good question. Ideally it would be the latter but i think for many, it's the former. Sometimes we're mature in some areas or circumstances because of our perspective, and in other circumstances perhaps not.

 

[Agnus]

People can act mature/responsible at many times in life, and that is good, but in spite of all our personal develpment and insight, some aspects of maturity simply comes with age. Physiological and chemical processes are a factor and these can play a significant role...more than we/I care to admit. Now if we can glean value from our experience, personal development, insight and perspective all the better, but age also helps us to slow things down a bit, reshuffle our priorities, and settle things that might have brought us angst in our youth.

I know that not all older people are taking responsibility of their actions, even they have "bigger memory". Some older people are tired and some of them are happy

 

[randomsomeone]

I know that not all older people are taking responsibility of their actions, even they have "bigger memory". Some older people are tired and some of them are happy

Well, that sure is true, too, isn't it!!! Lots of people do short out for some reason....it's too bad. Seems often there is some unfinished business.

I'm not saying that all old people have their act together, just that there are certain aspects to maturity that seem to come only with age.

 

[INFJesus]

Well, that sure is true, too, isn't it!!! Lots of people do short out for some reason....it's too bad. Seems often there is some unfinished business.

I'm not saying that all old people have their act together, just that there are certain aspects to maturity that seem to come only with age.

You would think that is the case..
But I think it's not..
There are 3 kinds of people in the world
Healthy people
Unhealthy people
Works in progress- either building up to healthy or breaking down to unhealthy

A healthy 21 year old is likely to be more "mature" that an unhealthy 41 year old.

Maturity, in the context of behavior, is subjective.

 

[randomsomeone]

A healthy 21 year old is likely to be more "mature" that an unhealthy 41 year old.

Yes, I know people like this!!!!!! Even for a mature 21 y/o, though, there is an entirely different level, different type, of maturity they will likely demonstrate when they are 50.

You're right, there are many subjective and semantic nuances to a discussion of maturity.

 

[INFJesus]

Yes, I know people like this!!!!!! Even for a mature 21 y/o, though, there is an entirely different level, different type, of maturity they will likely demonstrate when they are 50.

You're right, there are many subjective and semantic nuances to a discussion of maturity.

Of course there is no substitute for experience.

 

[anica]

Parcheesi, 8pm bed times, being crotchety, and Depends.

Oh, boy, mf, are you in for a surprise! Maybe I just haven't "matured" enough, but at 61 I still find life a grand adventure full of surprises. I haven't played Parcheesi since I was a kid, can't remember the last time I went to bed at 8 p.m. and Depends are nothing to be ashamed of if you need them...I don't now but have a few times in the past and it was no biggie, surely not enough to make me stop enjoying my life.

But I am somewhat crochety and have been since about age 4.

 

[Gaze]

Yes, I know people like this!!!!!! Even for a mature 21 y/o, though, there is an entirely different level, different type, of maturity they will likely demonstrate when they are 50.

You're right, there are many subjective and semantic nuances to a discussion of maturity.

There is a sense of self which comes with age which makes maturity different at every age. A mature 16 year old is not the same as a mature 40 or 70 year old. And we don't usually understand this until we reach those respective ages.

 

[randomsomeone]

Of course there is no substitute for experience.

True.

I suppose different forms of maturity express themselves at different stages of our lives. There is a maturity that is appropriate and right and healthy for the young, there is a form that is appropriate and right and healthy for those in mid-life, and the same for those who are old. I have friends in all these life-stages who I would consider mature....but at the same time each place on this sliding scale seems to feature certain qualities that make it unique and fitting with that stage.

 

[just me]

Maybe the "act of maturing" is living....each at his/her own pace. Life circumstances alter each person somewhat.

I think about survival for some reason presently. At what point does an individual place the survival of others as important as the survival of self?

Not every individual is capable of maturity in some aspects of life, but that does not mean they have not matured with the capabilities they have present.

I have seen those mentally or physically challenged that may seem immature to others, though they may in fact be as mature as they can be
(and possibly more mature than they let out to be).

 

[Morpheus]

Maturity is knowing your own fallibility, accepting it, and acting accordingly.

This is not a well thought-through deifinition, but something I thought after reading the first post: it may quite well be wrong, even glaringly so.

 

[Gaze]

Maturity is knowing your own fallibility, accepting it, and acting accordingly.

Agree.

 

[Zombicide]

Maturity is when something ages. Colloquially it refers to two things, primarily whatever is culturally associable with maturity (e.g. as oppose to Santa Claus) that someone can pretentiously promote for the sake of their own social status / increased chance at reproductive success and secondarily responsibility, neither of which is dependent upon actual maturity, in fact as you may have noticed many e.g. preteen children are known to attempt to conform to connotations of maturity early on in order to impress their peers and most of all their elders, and on the other side depending upon the culture, watching cartoons is considered relatively adult (Japan) so the word maturity in this colloquial sense is a bit meaningless and we might as well stick with the biological / universal. Some aspects of cultural maturity are presumably rooted in elder biology e.g. since they're less energetic they're typically intolerant of the energetic youthfulness / transfer this as a value setting a bench mark for what can be considered maturity, another being size, with great power comes great responsibility albeit responsibility is less relevant to cultural maturity in this rooted case since it isn't a necessity for the goal of seeming mature, in fact many manly men are significantly irresponsible but are considerably mature e.g. their not caring for their offspring has nothing to do with literal maturity but the stigmatization of it as not being mature is instead a trick to get them to take responsibility for their offspring. Maturity as it is known more euphemistically is the small mindedness, consciously or unconscious, narrowing in on reproductive success, particularly through social cohesion. Aside from the ageing process and conformity to what behaviour may culturally grant reproductive success, there is no official maturity, people deride immaturity in order to make themselves look good by comparison and induce social cohesion.

Maturity: do as I say, whether it's good or bad or I'll deride you by labelling you immature i.e. threaten your chance at reproductive success and increase my own by making me look good by comparison. Maturity: look at me everybody, I'm a good little conformist conforming to our culture of maturity, see? So I'm good. Maturity: I'm old so I value behaviour that is convenient for my age.