a TEENy problem

At sixteen I was stupid, confused, insecure, and indecisive. At twenty-five I was wise, self-confident, prepossessing, and assertive. At forty-five I am stupid, confused, insecure, and indecisive. Who would have supposed that maturity is only a short break in adolescence?

The above quotation reveals Jules Feiffer’s insight on the most critical stage in one’s life – adolescence. Experiencing the various pressures loftily hinders the growth of an inside character: anxiety from acquaintances, longing for a family, lack of sense of belonging, confusion, and most prominently, rushed judgments.

The heavy demands of the situation dictate a pace that would later create a painful regret. Plain conversations often lead to complicated arguments. The sudden sprint of emotions is judging an ideal world from an existential ambience. The older we get, the more we yearn for competence. Should we admit it or not, we seldom enforce contingency plans before taking risks on something. When the going gets tough, we simply give up and wait for another opportunity to come pass by. Well, it couldn’t be avoided most of the times because some circumstances need quick responses. But the mere fact that we handle time in the palm of our hands would abolish all reservations and inhibitions when it comes to a sound judgment.

Rushed judgments would not have been a problem if we learn to dance under the rain instead of just waiting for the storm to pass. It is all about experience, our collection of mistakes. We are our own authors and we each possess a book wherein we write our own page everyday. But our pen won’t work every time. So before we write what we think … think! No matter what our age in life is, choices can always be rational. A moral judgment could be decided on other similar situations and the logical consistency might as well manifest.

Choice is the root of any original action. A right decision would result into a variety of possibilities that must be readily recognized to better ourselves. Scuttled verdicts are the worst type of judgments. God placed our brains above our hearts to thoroughly review our dash feelings. If we practice it now, then it would not be a dilemma anymore in the near future. Just like what Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout movement said, “Be Prepared.” Prepare yourself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that you are never taken by surprise and consequently, you know exactly what to do when anything unexpected happens.