I’ve been thinking over the past few months about why I came abroad and what I am trying to accomplish this year. One of my goals is to become more of an adult. I am 31 years old (halfway to 32 as of October 1) but still often do not feel like an adult in a meaningful way. By coming abroad, putting myself in a new environment with new challenges (above all learning a new language, but also having to make new friends, get settled in a (somewhat) foreign culture, etc.) I would grow up a bit. But this begs the question, what does it mean to grow up? What does it mean to be an adult? I have come up with a working list of four characteristics I believe an adult (should) have:
1. Adults have a sense of perspective on one’s own life and on life in general. (This goes to knowing how big, or small, a given issue is, relatively speaking.)
2. Adults generally act responsibly and do the right thing (which means not only having a sense of what the right thing is in a given situation, but also doing it, rather than shirking that duty for whatever reason).
3. Adults recognize the concerns and interests of others around them. (Childhood and adolesence are usually marked by a circumscribed view of the world, but adults should, at minimum, be able to see beyond themselves.)
4. Adults speak up for themselves, rather than waiting for others to speak up for them or protect them (which is what children do, in reliance on their parents or caretakers).
What do you think?
