At risk of coming off as something I am most definitely not—a Positive Petey, an embracer and advocate of new experiences and drinking deep from the cup of life—I would protest that the main flaw of “adulthood” is that at base it’s about limiting your experiences, out of an overwhelming fear and dread—of what exactly you’re not quite sure—which is to say, out of cowardice. Being an “adult” consists chiefly of hedging against the unknown—securing those paychecks and that health plan, “put[ting] a ring on it,” assuring your DNA’s survival. And if you spend your best years systematically excluding the possibility of grace, doesn’t it follow that you’re going to be miserable?

This may be the most accurate and terrifying and also extraordinarily brave and brilliant.

Tags: Against Adulthood growing up change