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Truth and Consequences
Sep. 2nd, 2015 10:33 amThis morning, I was contemplating how three very similar words (liminal, subliminal, and sublime) could mean such different things.
Then I read something a friend of mine had written, about teenagers. Teenagers, generally speaking, have no sense of consequences--their brain hasn't finished developing yet, that this is what sparks that thanatophilia which so horrifies their parents. They are unscarred by traumatic events that have long term repercussions, and this gives them the ability to dive headfirst into these situations.
And I began to realize why, when I was growing up, most of the other teenagers were so alien to me. I had a hyperdeveloped sense of consequence. Safety first, safety second, and safety in a tie for third with a good book. How, I thought, could these kids smoke cigarettes? Don't they know about lung cancer? How could they pace along the top of that wall? They could fall and break something. And of course once they got their driver's licenses there was a whole school of danger there even if you were driving safely.
I never broke a bone. I didn't get detention. I got good grades, I read a lot of books, and I watched a lot of television. The most dangerous thing I did was either joining the volleyball team or riding in the car with my elder sister. And I considered that a success. And that's unfortunate. Because your teen years are for screwing up. You're protected by parents, society, the school--protected by a host of safety nets that will likely catch you no matter how badly you screwed up. As you get older, the world is a lot less forgiving about that.
Then I read something a friend of mine had written, about teenagers. Teenagers, generally speaking, have no sense of consequences--their brain hasn't finished developing yet, that this is what sparks that thanatophilia which so horrifies their parents. They are unscarred by traumatic events that have long term repercussions, and this gives them the ability to dive headfirst into these situations.
And I began to realize why, when I was growing up, most of the other teenagers were so alien to me. I had a hyperdeveloped sense of consequence. Safety first, safety second, and safety in a tie for third with a good book. How, I thought, could these kids smoke cigarettes? Don't they know about lung cancer? How could they pace along the top of that wall? They could fall and break something. And of course once they got their driver's licenses there was a whole school of danger there even if you were driving safely.
I never broke a bone. I didn't get detention. I got good grades, I read a lot of books, and I watched a lot of television. The most dangerous thing I did was either joining the volleyball team or riding in the car with my elder sister. And I considered that a success. And that's unfortunate. Because your teen years are for screwing up. You're protected by parents, society, the school--protected by a host of safety nets that will likely catch you no matter how badly you screwed up. As you get older, the world is a lot less forgiving about that.