August
19
What would happen if you went up to someone in their 60′s and told them they were too old for something? They would be offended. They would be insulted. They would feel worthless.
All my life I have had to fight the opposite. I was always told I was too young. Too young to do this. Too young to understand. Too young to do what I do.
How does age tell people how mature someone is? How does age tell people how talented or smart you are? When does age mean something more than the years you have been on this Earth?
I wonder if there is really a time when you are the “right” age. The perfect age where you are no longer too young or even considered too old.
My guess is never…
I was always fighting this battle to be accepted. I wanted to be the age where I wasn’t too young. Each year I gained, I felt closer to the “right” age.
As time went on, I learned a lesson. This wasn’t about my age. I was fine with my age. What I wasn’t OK with was people’s perspective on my age. This had nothing to do with me but had everything to do with them.
When we criticize others about their age, we are only reflecting how we truly feel about ourselves. When you say someone is too young this can be because of your own personal regrets from when you were younger, the fear of yourself getting older, or shock of facing reality that you didn’t or aren’t doing what you wanted to do in life.
Not everyone called me too young. Many people acknowledged me for what I did, celebrated with me and cheered me on to do more. These people were comfortable not only with their ages but in their own lives.
When you find yourself making the judgement that someone is too young or too old, take a look at yourself and question why do you need to say this? What is this saying about you? What changes can you make in your own life?
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Brad
on 19 Aug 2009 at 1:50 pm #
It is funny when I was younger I tried to be older and even tried to act more mature right now I am just me. I have learned that I don’t care what people think of me.
I also read on my friends profile it says “When I die, my boyfriend will be so distraught with grief that he had to drop out of high school”
Michael
on 19 Aug 2009 at 2:33 pm #
Brad,
That is a riot. I love that status.
It is good when you learn to love yourself and do not need the validation of others.
We leave in a world where people are very quick to give us negative comments and criticisms instead of kind words, gratitude and support.
alternaview
on 19 Aug 2009 at 10:52 pm #
Great post. Age really is just a number…admittedly that is so cliche, but that doesn’t make it any less true. I have learned some of the most important lessons in life from people younger than me. Age is just a label, it doesn’t mean much of anything. An important thing to understand about a person is how they approach situations, how they relate to other people, and how they reach conclusions. Perhaps the better we are at these things should determine our actual age. Thanks for the reminder.
Seth
on 20 Aug 2009 at 2:02 pm #
Great post Michael! As a young person in the workforce, with a lot of ideas, I can definitely relate.
Michael
on 21 Aug 2009 at 8:13 am #
Seth,
Isn’t true? It is just a struggle for us to work on having “our voice” heard. I think it is a major loss when you discredit anyone’s voice for being heard. No matter the age, gender, etc. We all have something to bring to the table. We all need to shine!