When we grow up we enter a phase of life where childhood and adolescence is over and a mature phase beckons.
This change is deep and should be taken seriously. We stopped doing that in the West a long time ago. Many cultures have tough ceremonies or rites that youngsters pass through, some are religious and some are nature based. Some are sent out to explore their own physical and mental limits or depths.
The process of entering maturity should entail moving into unknown terrain physically and spiritually so that your limits are tested, and maybe found. As part of the process you should learn to ask, find out, find both inner and outer resources, find your own way of expressing yourself, find self-reliance.
Survival technique is also involved – how will you earn a living for yourself? So find out what you want to do, the means to live from. This should be deep – what do you really want to do and be – it should be accepted both by your body and your soul. You may have to fight hard to achieve your aims. There are tools to be found and people to talk to.
The challenge then is to make it happen the way you want – you are on a tour of discovery of both body and soul.
Your old identity will be left behind as you enter the mature phase of your life. It is also the start of ego growth – work to find your emotions satisfying, get into contact with nature, your own body, your images and dreams: start growing.
You will learn to live so that you follow what your body and soul wants – you will be authentic and your own manager. The crowd will not be for you you will be independent.
Western civilization should alter its processes of growing into adulthood along these lines – let the discussion start.
