Maturity

What is Maturity? What is this word that everyone uses but nobody quite understands the full meaning of?

I mean, we keep telling kids to grow up. Or tell someone that this person or action is mature/immature. But truth be told, what the HECK IS MATURITY???

Well we all know what maturity is NOT. It's not growing up or growing old. Maturity is not gained by the passing of years. Adulthood is, but maturity? Goodness knows.

Some are born with it. Some seek it, and find it. Some have it forced upon them. But what is it really?

Kinda like love in this aspect isn't it? You can describe its effects, its characteristics and is attributes, but I don't think any in the world can quite describe what maturity IS.

I'd like to put forward at this time that maturity is defined in people by what the positive qualities that they hold dear. I believe that everyone, whether they know it or not, holds a particular image of what an ideal person is like. The characteristics and traits of that person, the attributes, likes and dislikes.

I think that the easiest definition of maturity is the progression towards this ideal in that person. The closer you are to that ideal, the more mature you are. The further away, the less mature you seem to be.

Again, maturity is relative. Why? Because the ideals in people and the things that make up that ideal is relative. And that what is mature to one person is not that to another.

What are some of the things that I find make up a mature person?
1. Self awareness and one's comfort level with oneself
2. Self-Control
3. Empathy or taking a step in the other person's shoes.
4. Taking responsibility for one's own life.

Based on these, not many people in Singapore, adults and even old people included, that fall in the category of mature people. But hey, what can I say, not everyone is grown up, or heck, even WANT to grow up. Or maybe I just see them as being immature, the same way they see me.