Is age just a number?

Some random thoughts after reading my friend's blog entry about how he thinks age is just a number….

Well, to me, age is not merely just a number. Age comes with certain implications. It signifies the maturity of one’s thinking and how he has grown over the years. At age 13, one would, and I hope should be, leading a carefree life. All the kid has to think about is just study and play. But at age 28, although one could still, hopefully, be leading a carefree life, the number comes with it heavier responsibilities. One would have to be more responsible for his actions although he can absolutely choose to be otherwise.

At this age, one has to think about work, marriage, children, money, among many others responsibilities. The most important of all now, at least to me, is how to bring the dough home. There are just so many decisions to make at this age which one doesn’t have to think of when younger that could affect the rest of his life. One can’t possibly still be running back to mummy for every little thing and do anything according to one’s whimsy. Whatever decision one makes at this stage of his life would have a great impact on the rest of not only just his own, but as well as the rest of his family’s lives. No matter how one might think he has not changed, the fact is his outlook in life would definitely be different compared to just 5 years ago.

Even in the eyes of the law, age is not just a number. Teenagers that have gone onto the wrong side of the law at 14 would be tried at the juvenile court and have a chance to repent, while someone who commits an offence at the age of 21 would be sent to jail if found guilty. This shows that people are indeed treated differently at different age. There are greater expectations of you by your family, friends, and society as one ages. So, although to some, age may just be a number, it is definitely not so in real life.

Physically wise, when the number becomes higher, one also tends to become weaker, even if you like it or not. That is the fact of life. Your metabolism decreases as you age. Your skin looks duller, you don’t look as good compared to when you were just sweet sixteen. You tend to fall sick more easily, your immune system is not as strong as before. You begin to experience illness that you used to associate with the old and feeble. But all these are now all happening to you. Hair loss becomes a norm among your peers, you can’t seem to lose weight no matter how hard you exercise. Wrinkles start showing on your face despite the time and money spent maintaining it.

The fact is with age, not only does the number become bigger; one ages too, both mentally and physically. Although behavior wise, one could still be as childish as before – playing tricks on friends, but one’s thinking and appearance certainly would have changed. So with that, I feel that age definitely entails much more than just being a number. And hopefully, with age comes wisdom too.