What it means to be mature

/an essay/

Age doesn’t define maturity, neither grades mean intelligence. But maturity comes from experience, mistakes, learning and understanding.

When you are in love you feel a rush and the need to see the person that you love. But sometimes people don’t feel the same way. Being broken-hearted it’s a feeling that you couldn't love the same way twice, everybody has been turned down and if they haven’t been they will be. I’ve experienced it. It has been about 50 years since it happened and I still remember it as if it was yesterday. Then I realized one of the meanings of maturity. It’s when a person hurts you and you try to understand his situation rather than hurt him back. This is the emotional maturity, demonstrated by how kindly you treat those who mistreat or misunderstand you. Likewise knowing that bad thoughts aren’t actions. Having thought isn’t the same as carrying it out. Guilt doesn’t recognize the different. Therefore to come out of silence you have to learn by watching another person’s reaction, that’s alright to have any thought you want.

Napoleon Hill once said that ‘’One of the blessings of maturity is that it sometimes brings one greater courage to be truthful, regardless of what those who do not understand, may think or say.’’

Some people are scared to express themselves just because they are afraid of what might people say. But we should say what‘s our opinion simply because if the person is wrong and we don’t say what’s on our mind they might get in an uncomfortable situation. In the history of mankind governments have tried to rule over the people by burning many books which carried knowledge of the past and not only that. They’ve also been burned poems, stories, plays literature treasures and many more. That way they can be secured that the people couldn’t rise and defend themselves.

But maturity is also the ability to respond to the environment in an appropriate manner. This response is generally learned rather than instinctive. We learn how to be patient, knowing a prize will come to us when the time is right. Waiting is hard, but worth it. We gain it from our experience, mistakes, learning and understanding. And sometimes people say to you to learn from their mistakes but everybody has to do their own, because we can learn from just watching or hearing we have to experience it, the pain, the suffering, the grief and to accept the consequences. Maturity also encompasses being aware of the correct time and place to behave and knowing when to act appropriately. When you are mature you learn of the true meaning of life’s purpose, directedness, and intentionality which, contributes to the feeling that life is meaningful.

The marks of maturity and graciousness are to bear defeat with dignity, to accept criticism with poise, receive honors with humility, to seek wisdom before acting, to put others’ needs before yourself and our decisions to be based on character, not feelings.

Tanya Grozdeva-17 years old (Bulgarian team)