I remember the first time I drank a lot as a teenager. The night went great, and I woke up with a clear head. First thought: “Everyone warned about some hangover. Turns out it’s pure bliss!”
Of course, I just didn’t see the bill my body quietly paid.
What’s the difference between a baby and an old man? A baby falls on his belly or butt with no care. An old man moves slow, like a tourist with a backpack in an antique shop.
A baby’s small and flexible, so bruises don’t scare him. Unlike the old man, where a fragile hip break can be a death sentence. Their bodies hold different resources.
But that’s not the full story. Recall how kids grab strange animals, stick fingers in sockets, or step off heights. Even a strong body has a limit. And kids, alas, don’t know it.
A string of bruises, burns, and breaks teaches a child he’s not God. With time, an adult’s neck stiffens, knees ache, and his liver says: “I’ll handle a glass of wine, but you deal with the rest.”
Realizing the limits of your abilities is an invitation into maturity. But he must work on himself. Or else he turns into an old man, paralyzed by every danger.
It’s about mastering how he sees his limits. Where kids, and many adults, hit a solid wall, maturity hands him a key to a hidden door. The limit seems to exist, and yet it doesn’t.
Mature thinking is a paradox. It doesn’t fear mixed feelings, uncertainty, or conflict, for maturity knows the rule: “In sterquiliniis invenitur” — “In filth you'll find everything you need".
Yes, with age, a man’s physical strength fades. But if he taps his potential right, his other strength—intuition, imagination, wisdom—grows each day.
So a mature person is an optimistic realist.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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