posted on Oct, 7 2011 @ 07:01 PM
Interesting thread. One of the things I've found in aging (yikes, I'm almost 60!!!) is that the gradual and often painful accumulation of wisdom
shows up how many bad judgments you've made, and that it is best to reserve judgement as much as possible. By making judgements you miss the really
important intricacies of people and events, and at any rate, many times you will make bad or overblown judgements. By releasing yourself from faulty
quick conclusions you can gradually release yourself from fear, revulsion and hate, which after all hurt you far more than anyone else.
I believe that the best part of any religion is the part that teaches this release, though I believe Sidhartha (Buddha) stated it the most clearly.
Of course in tempering these negatives, the tempering of the euphoria of youthful existence - and the newness of life - goes hand in hand. It's like
a manic-depressive who is gradually healed and moves to the middle, away from the extremes. Stoicism is perhaps a good word for the outward
projection of these traits, though there are others that might fit better (stoicism has kind of "putting on a face" regardless of inner chaos
connotation).
Of course there are many "adults" who never go through this transition, for one reason or another. They're the ones you really need to look out
for!