I Don't Want To Grow Up...

What does it mean to be a grown-up?  When do we know that we have "made it" as an adult?  Or do we ever really make it?  Are we always part child?

Is being an adult simply a physical phenomenon?  Certainly there is a time in which, biologically, we stop growing and are able to reproduce.  But does physical maturity equal adulthood?  Even if it is one part, is it the most significant aspect of adulthood?  If it isn't that significant, is it possible to be an adult without physical maturity?  For instance, can a girl who can't have kids of her own but who takes care of her siblings like a mother-- does she count as an adult, even though physically she isn't "grown up"?

What about emotional maturity?  If a person has self control and is master over their own stresses and can make reasonable decisions, is that adulthood?  What if a person is emotionally mature and rational, but they don't have enough experience to really know all of their options?  But how many adults actually know all of their options?  Isn't experience and emotional maturity a process, a spectrum that we all fall short of reaching the final amount of experience and control necessary?  Are we not really mature until death, the final experience we all must share?

What about responsibility?  Once we are responsible enough to care for ourselves, whatever family we have been born into, adopted or created, then are we really grown up?  Once we can provide for all of the needs, can make decisions as to how to best organize the life of the small group, then are we really adult?  What about adults who are poor and can't make ends meet?  Are they not really adult unless they can properly take care of themselves and their family?  Are the homeless over 40 not really adults and must be treated and cared for like a child?

There are other aspects of adulthood that must be considered: Moral maturity, choosing a lifestyle that works in society at large, the specific cultural and social markers that indicate adulthood, whether that be turning 18, driving a car, getting married or living in one's own space.

What other aspects of life make a grown-up?  When did you feel that you were really adult? 

Are Emotions Necessary?

In a world of logic, emotions have no place, so says Mr. Spock.  And we can see the difficulty of emotions.  Emotions can cause violence, or cause breakdowns-- either too much or too little action.  They can cloud our thinking by causing us to jump to conclusions or to hide significant pieces of information.  But are emotions always bad?  In fact, can we even function without emotions?  For what reasons do we have emotions anyway?

Emotions give us personal information.  While emotions may not always help us understand the world around us, they can give us information about ourselves and how we are responding to that world.  How do our emotions show us what is significant to us?  How do our emotions communicate what we fear or what we hope or what we long for?

Emotions drive us to action.  If we did not have emotions, for what reason would we do anything?  If our emotions were absent, would we care enough about anything to act with appropriate drama when necessary?

Emotions are one form of communicating.  Were it not for our emotions, would anyone else know what was significant to us, whether positive or negatively?  If we always spoke in even tones of voice, would we be effectively communicating not only information, but depth?

Emotions help us process events.  Could we process what needs to be done in a short period of time without emotions?  With anger, we instantly see options for injustices done-- perhaps they are not the best options, but they give us options to begin the process of judging and determining right courses of action.  Depression may slow us down, but this is important for us to do after a time of significant stress.  Fear may lead to fight-or-flight, but when we see that these are only the first responses to a varied situation, but often the instant response is the correct one.  Without emotions would we accomplish what we need to do, as quickly as they need to be done?

In the end, the question is: are emotions necessary, or should we get rid of them?  As useful as emotions are in these ways, could they be better replaced by more rational, thoughtful responses?  Or do we need the instant, intuitive, personal response-- is it a part of being human?  Could we even reason appropriately without emotions?  Is it possible, or desirable, to live on planet Vulcan?