Times like these

The hardest part of life right now is accepting the fact that we must all grow up. The problem right now is the perception of "growing up" and what it actually entails.

What comes to mind when someone tells you to grow up?

Believe it or not, we are all in a fragile state of mind, and will probably be there until the growing up part is completely over (sometime around 40 years old). In my current state of fragility, I am offended and taken back when someone tells me I have a lot of growing up to do. Upon hearing this my mind goes directly into 1st person mode and I start viewing myself through the commentators eyes.

• Am I immature? What makes me seem immature?
• Does maturity have anything to do with growing up?
• Are there different levels of maturity?
• Is maturation and growing up a direct relationship?
• I graduated college and have a full time career, what makes someone believe I am not grown up yet?

By the time I've answered all of these questions internally, I have probably forgotten the real reason why this comment came to fruition. After some extensive inflection, I have come to a couple of conclusions about this thought and the thoughts that are derived out of such craziness.

1. "Growing up" may not be the appropriate term for what most people are trying to say. What they really want to say is, "You have a lot of life to live and a lot of experiences to learn from." When you hear it that way, it doesn't sound so bad, does it?
2. Maturity is a double sided triangle that becomes a diamond when both sides are complete. We have physical maturation and mental maturation. Physically we maturate fully when we are in our early 20's. Then our body falls apart and we cry. Mental maturation, I believe, is a mindset that allows you to think critically of yourself without taking everything to heart. This isn't to say you can't be emotional, but it does say that you must be able to view things in a manner that allows you to see the pro's and con's and make the "mature" decision based on that.
3. Those questioning your maturity may not be fully qualified. It is one thing to be in high school and comment on the "childness" of kids in elementary school. It is another thing to be 45 years old and to comment on the "childness" of a college graduate. If you are busy judging others' maturity, you may be missing a key element here: "Judge not less ye be judged." Essentially, those who have reached a state of enlightenment (if you will) will not have the mindset that allows them to judge one's maturity.

I would hope for input as I am a critical person myself and love to get feedback. At what point do you consider yourself fully mature, or grown up? Are you there yet? How did you get there or how do you plan on getting there?