Uncertainties

As one of Douglas Adams's characters once pointed out, we tend to congregate at boundaries. We like the beach because it is where land meets water. We like the sunrise and sunset because those are the moments day meets night. And, more to the point of this post, we want to remain at the cusp of maturity, because that is where the child meets the adult.

That is a scary place in which to find oneself, both because and in spite of the fact that it is also scary to leave it. The only way out of it is forwards. There is no going back to the carelessness of childhood. There is no having your outfit picked out for you (well, not always).

Back in the days when your last name was a reliable indication of your protection (a system under which Spiderman's alter ego would be Peter Photographer),  things were simpler, despite the lack of smartphones: you took up your parents' trade and that was that. You basically knew your life's path the moment you achieved social awareness. Nowadays, though, such certainties are the stuff of fiction. Which means that at the cusp of maturity, the way forward looks not unlike this.

Good luck.

 See if you can just replace mommy as an Air Force Captain these days. You truly are on your own. You're supposed to figure this life thing out, and unless you come with the right connections, genetic or otherwise, holy crap, is it hard!

So you stay put. Embracing all of the independence that comes with not being a child, and none of the responsibilities that come with being an adult. That attitude can best be summarised in phrases such as "I do what I want" or "I am the one in control." But my economist friends would likely call that an unsustainable business model (or something): society expects something of you, and it's only a matter of time until it finds a clever way to punish you for failing to deliver. Whether you believe it to be ordained from above or not, you have a part to play. Remaining an unchild (Trademarked) will only get in the way, and as nature can't abide a vacuum, someone else will step up to your plate.

Fortunately, on some level, most people understand this. Of course, it could just be that they finally realise they can't stand the embarrassment of watching their peers speed past them as they remain static in an ever-moving world. Competition is as efficient a motivator for humans as it is for bacteria. Regardless of incentive, though, most people eventually grow up.

Hugh will catch up in a bit.

It's still scary, and the uncertainty eats us up. Have I chosen the right career? Am I in the right place? What if I settled for the wrong person? The questions keep coming. The self-doubt is crippling. And THAT, friends, is the problem. Second-guessing everything you do will get you nowhere. Every choice you make will make some possibilities unavailable. I'm sure I don't need to repeat the forking roads analogy here. The only way to have infinite choices is not to make any.

But take heart. You're not alone treading the foggy streets of what is hopefully not Silent Hill. The uncertainty of adulthood is one of the things we share regardless of breed or creed. Think of the previous sentence as that "I'm scared too; let's do it" line that crops up in every other movie. If it works in movies, it works everywhere, right? Let's do this!

... And We're Back

Before you bite my head off, I would like to assure everybody that I am indeed aware of how long it has been since my last post. Also, I would like you to brush your teeth; if you insist of biting my head off, I would prefer the last thing I smell to be fresh.

It's been a difficult couple of months for me. Between a departed dear uncle and a young cousin whose already poor health took a turn for the worse, I feared posting anything without first getting my head straight would turn this blog into a depression inducer.

Have I got my head straight? No. I simply no longer fear dragging the lot of you into despair. There are other things to discuss than the vicissitudes of the Judge Magister's life. And so here I am, back online. I may even resume tweeting.

To those who missed me, I apologise. I can't promise this sort of things won't happen again. But I can promise you that I will get up again every time it does. Unless, y'know, it takes the form of one of the more virulent strains of death.

Anyhoo, what's everybody been up to?