Thursday, August 19, 2004

21

Happy 21st Birthday!!! I wonder why this is the most celebrated age in our entire lifetime..?

Firstly, 21 is the age when you're officially on your own (I bet the parents who spent half their lives toiling for their children are celebrating this day more than anyone else...!); and to be on your own two feet would mean that you're fully responsible for yourself and your actions, not forgetting that you have to find the means to feed and clothe yourselves from then on!!! But I guess we can always occasionally (oxymoron) retreat back into the comfort zone of our parents' love (they'd better let us..!).

Secondly, isn't it kind of sad that by being 21 would mean that you are no longer a teenager? At the age of 20, I guess we still can be pardoned to claim the title of 'Teenager' (the really old form) because we are neither here nor there. But at 21, there is no way you can call yourself a teenager; because to qualify as a 'Teen' you've got to be between thir-TEEN to nine-TEEN. At 21, we're just old (no offence to those in their 30s, 40s or... maybe I shouldn't go on...) and 'mature' just isn't the right term to describe most 20s.

On a personal note, half of us have probably not gone through enough to be termed mature. You can't call someone who's been living under their parents' wings for the past two decades, or someone who has just stepped out of that phase 'mature', can you? Prime - much less to say, unless you've already carved a niche in your career and reached financial stability at such a tender age, we are not even a mile close to being in our 'prime'. As for myself, I'm just jaded.

By the way, what is the true significance of the 'key' that's usually given to the 21 year olds by their parents? If it is the 'key to freedom', which I've much heard of; it definitely does not match its lock. With all due respect to all parents, but do the sons and daughters really achieve 'freedom' upon reaching 21? Let's admit it, our parents would always have a hand in our lives in one way or another, while some of us would bear a grudge for it, most of us would have been thankful.

Well, I guess the 21st birthday is a milestone worth commemorating for. It is after all THE age to view ANY movie in the cinema, to go clubbing without having to worry that you'll be denied access (the cut-off for some clubs are at 23 though...) and most importantly, it is unique like any other birthdays - we will never be 21 again!

Posted by Hao at 3:00 AM

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