Life is a strange case of unpardonable paradoxes…just when you think that you have aged enough, someone comes and bursts that bubble right in the air…which is what I am going to do to you today through this article. I of course do apologise for this “uncalled for” harsh dose of reality. For whether you (or even I for that matter) want to admit it or not…that is indeed the case with “youth” and the perceptions associated with it — an age when you will neither be mollycoddled nor be taken seriously enough. So, what do you do in this case? Well, if you were me…you philosophise…you prophecise…you prologise! And sometimes…just sometimes…you apologise!!!
What is it about youth that makes people a little uncomfortable when it comes to trusting their decisions and their overall abilities? Why is it that when it comes to responsibilities, grey hair invariably trumps the black? When did expertise, efficiency and effectiveness become correlated to colour of hair? All valid questions and yet neither one of them have ever been truly answered. Of course, I am going to attempt to change all that today…or at least…I will most certainly give it a try. [Note: If I fail, bear with me…then again, I can always blame my irresponsible youth.]
Well, then having put that disclaimer in place…if I had to come up with a one-word answer that would probably sum-up the reasons why the youth are seldom entrusted with responsibilities…the answer would probably be — “Hormones”! You see, the world we inhabit is supposed to be a rational one, which views emotions and vulnerabilities in extremely poor light. [Don’t believe me, just Google – ‘PMS’! See, hormones are also used to theorise women’s crazy actions…Oh dear god, did I just give myself another alibi??? “Young” + “Woman” = Bi-Alibi???]
Oops…looks like I get derailed again…Then again, I’m a woman who is young…what can I say. So, where was I? Right, I was discussing our raging hormones, which may be the reason why even after growing up…we are still not considered grown up! If you were to review the current literature, there are many studies that have attempted to measure the impact of sex hormones (aka “raging” hormones) on cognitive functions. Most of these studies invariably hypothesise that the more the hormones ‘rage’, the lesser the cognitive skill of the individual. Of course, now comes the discourse…when you simply “look” at a young individual, you cannot predict his/her level of “raging” hormones. Thus, you end up assuming that their hormones are “raging” all the time (after all, their hormones aren’t raging at all)…which means the youth cannot simply be expected to think straight. Ta da…there…we have an explanation!
Thus, in a manner of speaking, youth is actually the biological equivalent of chronological limbo…a biological age where you are “neither here nor there”. The funny part is that we ourselves are caught up in the same dichotomous chasm. As children, we are desperately waiting to age…and yet…as adults, we are desperately trying to reverse-age. Of course, neither one wins…in the end…nor do I!
