The Simplicity of Being Young

sometimes (actually, ALL the time) it's easier to be young... when you're a child/teen/adolescent, some adult is always looking out for you... in rare cases of neglect, this may not be true... but in general terms, someone has your best interest in mind... be it parent or teacher or pastor, someone is protecting the youth from harm... sometimes, we even have to protect them from themselves.

often (actually, ALL the time) youth don't appreciate what has been done for them... and when they become an adult, they are surprised at all the dangers which "suddenly" face them on a daily basis... but it's not that the dangers are new... it's that the danger is new to them.

i just read an example of this... it's a "friend of a friend of a friend" situation, so there's no need for names.

this young man (i.e. new adult, 20-something) contracted a viral infection... being young, he just felt tired... he wore out more easily than he did the week before... so he drank more caffeine and moved on... shortly thereafter, he was exposed to (what he was told was) "black mold", which can be toxic and cause several health issues... to combat this, he used "Broncaid", which is a medicine to ease and relieve shortness of breath and coughing associated with bronchial asthma... he also moved from coffee and soda to energy drinks, like Red Bull... while all of this got him through the day, it didn't solve the problem... so, thinking if a little does a little good, then a lot must do a lot of good, he took a couple extra Broncaids, along with his Red Bulls... about five Red Bulls.

he woke up in the hospital, where apparently, he flatlined (i.e. died) at least once.

so, if an adult (i.e. parent, teacher, pastor, police officer, crossing guard, etc.) doesn't let a child do something that they want (i.e. stay up late, drink energy drinks, eat sweets, drive across state lines, see R-rated movies, etc.), it is generally for the good of the child.

when this young man has a child (thus, becoming the defacto adult), you can bet the experience gained will frustrate his child... his child will probably want to stay up late, drink energy drinks, and take cold medicine... and the adult will say, "No, no, and no".

and his child will mutter under its breath how stupid adults are... but maybe, just maybe, they won't end up in the hospital on a ventilator.