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The coming of age


Lionheart_0

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There is a time in everyones life when they come of age, or at least it appears this way.

 

 

 

It seems in today's society that being a specific age is what grants people permission to do various things. Depending on where you live, these acts can be different. For example, here at 16 you can begin you driving career (I call it a career because you cannot fully get your license for many years), at 16 you can legally wed here with parental consent. At 17, a gamer is now deemed old enough to purchase "M" rated games. 18 is the age at which one can move out and start their new life away from the nest as well as not needing to be in the public school system anymore. Depending where you live, 18 is the age at which you can view adult material. 19 here (21 in the states) one can then finally enjoy a nice fresh beer, and if it tickles your fancy, a smoke.

 

 

 

Now, I find it interesting how we have these responsibilities handed to us. I know some people who just can't wait to turn 16, and get their license even though it will cost them hundreds of dollars for the testing and education and such. I know people who can't wait to turn 19 so they can drink, yet they already spend about 50$ a week getting alcohol from friends illegally, and wonder why they can't go to the movies with friends that don't drink. I know people who just can't wait to move out, and when they do, they realize they just can't keep up with bills, or that they made life style choices that were so wrong.

 

 

 

Basically, I guess I'm asking what is so good about growing up when it seems like, in the long run, it just costs us money, causes us problems and greif, and finally is just a pain in the but.

 

 

 

How do you all view the 'coming of age'? If your age restrictions are different from mine, what are they? And do you think the age restrictions should change at all?

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happy birthday :wink:

 

 

 

Age restrictions in my view are a good thing - ok there may be a minority that are mature enough to live without them but in general I think they are a good idea.

 

 

 

Don't forget it works both ways of course - ages of criminal liability and that sort of thing.

 

 

 

Why do we look forward to it? Its just a rite of passage, everyone at that kind of age wants to be grown up, an adult - for me I looked forward to being able to drink and vote (not at the same time obviously - I may end up voting labour or something :lol: ). More freedom = good in the eyes of most I suppose.

 

 

 

Age restrictions in the UK are

 

 

 

18 for cigs/alcohol (used to be 16 for ciggs and changed recently)

 

18 for adult material

 

18 to vote

 

21 (?) to be an MP

 

 

 

not sure when you can join the army etc though...

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I don't have much to say at the moment, but: Young people can't wait till they're older, old people always wish they were younger. :wink:

 

 

 

Now this isn't entirely true of course, since most adults don't continuously wish they were young again. But still, children and teenagers always want to be older, so they aren't restricted in their actions anymore. Most of the time, a person doesn't realise how great childhood was untill it is long gone.

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not sure when you can join the army etc though...

 

16. It's the big controversy. You can die for your country, yet you have no right to decide who puts in that situation in the first place. :wink:

 

 

 

EDIT: Ha... forgot to say Happy Birthday! <--- \'

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Happy birthday mate. :wink:

 

 

 

Suffrage and drinking is 18 here in Aus, it's 16 for getting your learners licence too.

 

 

 

I had my first legal beer beginning of last year (turning 19 in a few days actually, yay me :P ) and I voted for the first time just a few months ago. Voting is compulsory here.

 

 

 

I suppose coming of age has it's ups and downs. More responsibility, harder work, yet you can legally do more fun stuff.

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Happy Birthday, should come and give you 18 spankings. :twisted:

 

 

 

The ages where there are limits are just generalized guesses on when the majority will mature, but how much of the majority doesn't drink, and the immature-childish-teenagers be when they mature, even if they can drink at 19, but act like a 13 year old? Then again, the age limits do cause good, and prevent many bad things probably.

 

=P~

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Happy Birthday! 8-)

 

 

 

Don't worry, those problems you mentioned are exaggerated... As you grow older, you'll notice life isn't all about alcohol, cigarettes or voting. Heck, I'm way past 18 and I don't even drink or smoke, and only vote if there's an exceptional candidate. I don't care about those privileges much.

 

 

 

P.S: I now noticed something: :shock: Your signature looks like a spooky Hillary Clinton

 

 

 

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P.S: I now noticed something: Your signature looks like a spooky Hillary Clinton

 

 

 

Awww.. It's kinda true, exept that rikku is much cuter than hillary \' .

 

 

 

Oh and happy birthday :thumbsup:

Reality is hundreds of times more beautiful and more interesting than delusions. Fairy tales just tend to be easier to follow than the wonderful intricacies of life.

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not sure when you can join the army etc though...

 

16. It's the big controversy. You can die for your country, yet you have no right to decide who puts in that situation in the first place. :wink:

 

 

 

EDIT: Ha... forgot to say Happy Birthday! <--- \'

 

 

 

Also, you can be sent overseas to kill dozens of people, but then you can't have a beer or smoke to temporarily forget your pain.

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not sure when you can join the army etc though...

 

16. It's the big controversy. You can die for your country, yet you have no right to decide who puts in that situation in the first place. :wink:

 

 

 

EDIT: Ha... forgot to say Happy Birthday! <--- \'

 

 

 

You can have sex at 16, but you have to wait another 2 years to watch otehr people have sex :XD:

 

 

 

Happy B Day lionheart :thumbsup:

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not sure when you can join the army etc though...

 

16. It's the big controversy. You can die for your country, yet you have no right to decide who puts in that situation in the first place. :wink:

 

 

 

EDIT: Ha... forgot to say Happy Birthday! <--- \'

 

 

 

You can have sex at 16, but you have to wait another 2 years to watch otehr people have sex :XD:

 

 

 

Happy B Day lionheart :thumbsup:

 

Actually that's an interesting one.

 

 

 

It is illegal to have sex with an under-16 year old girl. It is not illegal however to have sex with an under-16 year old boy, although I guess if the female is 18+ it would be perversion technically.

 

 

 

That law I presume was mainly designed to protect young girls from being exploited by their masters (in Victorian England; industrialisation led to mass workhouses full of children employed by business tycoons). The exploitation of boys was presumably a much lesser occurance and so wasn't really an issue.

 

 

 

It's rarely, if ever, actually enforced anyway. It's more of a moral guideline.

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Happy birthday, and...why the bolded letters? :-k

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Command the Murderous Chalices! Drink ye harpooners! drink and swear, ye men that man the deathful whaleboat's bow- Death to Moby Dick!

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!

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not sure when you can join the army etc though...

 

16. It's the big controversy. You can die for your country, yet you have no right to decide who puts in that situation in the first place. :wink:

 

 

 

 

Not really, you can join the army at 16 but you can not be sent to fight until you reach 18. The only real argument is that 16 year olds commit themselves to the army for a number of years without realising how long they will serve, theres been some fuss about that recently.

 

 

 

As for coming of age I did not see it as a problem, most people drink prior to 18, the only real difference for the average 18 year old is the ability to vote, and most do not take it seriously and so there is no real concerns for them.

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With so many trees in the city you could see the spring coming each day until a night of warm wind would bring it suddenly in one morning. Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. But you knew that there would always be the spring as you knew the river would flow again after it was frozen. When the cold rains kept on and killed the spring, it was as though a young person had died for no reason. In those days though the spring always came finally but it was frightening that it had nearly failed.

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18 for cigs/alcohol (used to be 16 for ciggs and changed recently)

 

 

 

Actually you can still smoke at 16 because they havn't changed that law - you just have to be 18 to buy them. I don't know how much more cretinous the British government can get but, hey, i'm sure they'll amaze us again soon.

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Forget the laws and what you're able to do at 16/18/21. Getting beyond 18-20 is good because you have control of your life, and the intelligence to lead yourself. It's "scary", but if you go about it with the right mind then it's amazing. You're also wise enough to be able to contribute something worthwhile back to the world.

 

 

 

I think that looking back to childhood is overrated. Kids think they have a tough life, and in the end that's the same as actually having one.

For it is the greyness of dusk that reigns.

The time when the living and the dead exist as one.

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