Why do people use age as a benchmark for what you can't do?
In asking this question I considered that yes when you're older, physically your bones don't regenerate as fast as a kid ( so I can see why adults shouldn't be careless with activities such as sky diving (as an extreme example).
I also get that maturity plays a role too. When it comes to picking up hobbies, most would insist that you should have started at an earlier age (the rational is that as a kid you'd absorb more info, you're still a clean slate ready to be programmed).
Didn't people or society ever factor in the element of the "human will"? You know, the saying "if there's a will there's a way."
My friend who's trying to catch up with the what ifs of her life is finding out how true the adage mentioned above. She always wanted to learn how to play the piano but her parents said she was old already (she asked when she was 11 years old--- according to her parents she should have started at the age of 5). In high school when she was 17 years old and about to graduate she signed up for free piano lessons, in less than three months, she was able to read the notes and play the piano with both her hands.
In college, she decided to take Ballet lessons because she loved to dance. Although she wasn't as flexible as the others, her feet 'turnout" and her balance were pretty good. She also did ice skating lessons. In three days she was able to pass the pre-alpha level 1 (learning how to do swiggles, gliding, and backward skating). Her coach noted that her courage and enthusiasm to learn helped her to achieve her goals.
She is realistic, she's not just going to drop everything to be the next Mozart or the next Michelle Kwan. Her wonderings and musings of the what ifs have been assauged. Now she's just figuring out what she wants to dedicate her time and energy in because if she has the will she can do almost anything.
Posted by Michael Diezmos at August 31, 2006 5:57 PM