Have You Grown Up?

Some long lost friend recently asked me whether I had grown up. He last knew me as a seventeen year old. When you think about it he was, intentionally or otherwise, asking me whether I had ever analyzed my ongoing personal experiences and observations and engineered my behaviour in the light of my findings; put another way, he was asking me whether I had gone through life as thick as two short planks.

 There is no doubt that for much of my life  my energy was largely concentrated on my paid employment, rather than on developing a mature outlook and life balance. I must have been a helpful and resourceful work colleague, for much of the time, but at the cost of being a one trick pony and a misery to my family.

 Gradually, by means of help from mature friends, family support, and inspirational lecturers, I eventually got it. Got it? I began to feel that I understood a little of the nature of humanity, and the awareness that I was so lucky to be on the planet grew within me. Mind you I am aware of most of  my many remaining failings. Even now some things are far too black and white in my mind e.g. if you ask me about politics over a pint I might advise you never to trust a Tory. The fact is many Tories are good people; it’s just their leaders I find hard to trust. Have another pint. You might ask me about religion and I am likely to reply that I am perplexed that a few very bright  Oxford University graduates believe the utterly unbelievable or even much worse.

 Eventually I will get very drunk and express the view that too many people would do dishonest things if only they could be certain they would not be detected. After that it would be all down hill; I would very probably be sick at Tolworth railway station, just like I was in 1977.

 I was never a big drinker but hey the glass is half full not half empty. Fancy finishing it off for me?

  WB