Period of Youth
As I’ve continued to age and near the end of my youthful stage (33), my aim has been to glance back every seven years and recognize a distinctly outdated version of myself. Perhaps a work-in-progress version of who I am today. Someone I respect and appreciate, but also contently bid farewell as I’ve done enough at that age to be content with its passing. The goal is to be satisfied by all the efforts made and all the faults avoided, a period to be grateful for the time and resources spent that got me to where I am and the memories experienced that shaped who I’ve become.
Extending roughly from the years just after puberty to the middle of life, which itself is about forty, the period of youth is brief, but is a monumental phase in which those within it have to grip with reality - the demands of life which harshly put an end to the wishful-dreams of childhood. Those who don’t recognize the true situation or posses mistaken ideas about reality are at risk of something unpleasant certain to happen, and won’t be able to do anything to prevent it as reality is a constant by which its unrelenting weight inevitably caves in even the most stubborn of poorly built structures.
The transitional years from boyhood to manhood, which itself is between twenty-five and thirty are the critical years of self-reflection that the majority of males seem to lack the wherewithal to take upon themselves. Those who are fortunate to have a circle of like-minded peers or guidance from older and wiser adults can workshop ideas and behaviors that come with the advantages of comparing other’s lived experiences. It is an age range best suited for deep contemplation, preparation and concentration as these are the formidable years which set up the beginning of the rest of a man’s adult life. If properly experienced, it is a phase where a boy has lived enough recklessness to understand what is right and wrong - what he doesn’t wish to experience any longer, as well as enough adversities to understand what he hopes to change by moving forward. These windows of time are not set in stone, with many males fluctuating in time frames along their own journeys, but should be harshly aware that reproductive responsibility* is what drives the established timeline mentioned. This crucial age range can be argued as such because it is a nexus of major circumstances that one can either leverage for the best chances of particular outcomes in their favor or simply let slip by and thus increasing the unlikelihood of reaching those particular outcomes. This notion extends into the eight pillars of life (physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, professional, financial, personal, and legacy).
Within this range, a male has youth on his side, both in energy and endurance, which is critical for the amount of effort required to start the momentum of where he wishes to go. This trait is used when inexperience or lack of resources are in opposition, requiring a person to bare more of the load on his shoulders until better resources can be obtained. Within this range, a male has optimism and naivety on his side, in that he is less scared from unfortunate events much older males have to grapple with. This trait is used when moving through life without the burdens of baggage to cloud one’s judgment. Within this range, a male has untapped resources - just out of school, surrounded by a concentration of peers on an equal playing field, a microcosm to build and refine relationships never experienced again to the same degree beyond this age range. Within this range, a male has flexibility, a personality trait that describes the extent to which a person can cope with changes in circumstances and think about problems and tasks in novel, creative ways. This trait is used when stressors or unexpected events occur, requiring a person to change their stance, outlook, or commitment. Those who don’t mature properly can be recognized by their refusal to adapt, let go, move on, or change course in any aspect of their life. They spend their energy formulating new realities to justify their choices or situations and expect that the world respect them for their self-righteous and noble stance by maintaining an immature or lower resolution view of the world. They are afraid that adapting is seen as conforming, which to them also means losing their sense of identify and what sets them apart. Though, I would counter my own words and say that stubbornness is appropriate in circumstance if what a man demands from his reality is equally and fair to the level of sacrifices required to demand such outcomes he wishes to receive.
A great analogy can be seen as a basketball player refusing to dribble the ball while playing. The rules require everyone to dribble, but this player believes that carrying the ball is what sets him apart and gives him his competitive edge against the competition, when in reality, the attention he receives is not because he is a great basketball player, but because his stance causes issues amongst all the other players involved who play by the rules. They have accepted the terms and agreed to the limitations and then pick a position and corporate with a team and find their style of play within the rules to stand out and rise to the top. The player who refuses to play by the rules can be assumed as uncooperative and a liability no matter how many points they can make.
-Busy Brain
Reproductive Responsibility* The concept of baring children within a particular age range whereas the male is old enough to support and guide his offspring, but is still young enough to maintain the energy required during the next 18-21 years it takes to rear a child to autonomous adulthood.