RANGE NOT AGE

In my lifetime I have seen a 20 year old man and a 40 year old boy and one thing I have realized between both is that the man is a man because he has had experiences that killed the boy in him. I have also seen a 35 year old girl and a 20 year old woman, and the reason the woman became a woman is because the experiences she has come across in her lifetime challenged her so much that the only way to survive was to step up into womanhood. A boy isn’t ready to marry and a girl isn’t ready to be a wife because marriage comes with a lot that children do not know how to handle. This is why oftentimes relationships do not last especially when you hear one party say the other is not ready for life. When you hear this you realize that both are not thinking alike. While one is thinking of how to build a home and a family, the other just wants to live carefree, not thinking about tomorrow. You find out that the same person that wants to live carefree does not want to handle responsibilities or anything that looks like a responsibility and this can vary in different aspects of life.

Photo by Megat Irfan on Unsplash

But then again, oftentimes people would usually outgrow the childish traits around a common age, and you will find them thinking everyone around that age think the way they think, but later they often realize it’s not so and feel those who are older possess the mature traits they are looking for in a person. But this again varies because people marry for different reasons. Those marrying for money are most likely to go for older people, especially because most of the time they have already past their prime and are reaping the fruits of years of labour, so all they wish to do is enjoy those rewards also. But those who wish to build with someone are in two categories, the first are those who are open minded, the second are those who are not open minded. Those who are not open minded have already stereotyped those younger than them in a certain light for whatever reason they have. For the men, it might be that they prefer younger girls and can’t stand their agemates or older women, for the women, it could be they feel older guys are more mentally mature and the younger guys are not.

While both stereotypes are factual, I do not believe them to be 100% truth. Because there are also those in that category who do not succumb to the normal way of living, and the beautiful thing about it is that they are many also. This is why those who are open minded are very free to make life choices, they judge people based on who they are and not who society says they are making them also attract more people than those who are not open minded. But then again I would say those who are open minded are a bit safe as they save themselves from a whole lot by sticking with what they believe. However, I personally believe everyone should be given a chance to show who they are and not be rejected for falling into a certain stereotype. If a 25 year old man who knows what he wants out of life and is doing well for himself wishes to love a 40 year old lady, I believe she should give him the opportunity to prove he’s man enough and judge him in that regard. I will always say, do not judge what/who you have not tested.

THIS IS MY RESPONSE TO HIVE LEARNER'S PROMPT FOR WEEK 180 EPISODE 3