Growing up: What does it mean?

@Icon,

But intelligence has nothing to do with growth. Growth is far more than that. If you cannot perceive growth then you cannot grow. I can read book after book after book and gain all the knowledge I want but that does not allow me to grow.

Emotional and intellectual growth occur only with the perception of growth. Maturity does not necessarily equal growth either. I know a great number of very mature 20 year olds that still have not grown much emotionally or mentally. Maturity is not a measure but a seperate form of growth in my opinion.
I am not just looking at growth of one attribute. I am talking about total growth as a person.

@Icon,

Dont think I see where you'r going with this "growth"

@HexHammer,

HexHammer wrote:

Growing up =

- not being counterproductive
- do and say intelligent things
- do and say things that has a purpose
..etc..

Hum...
What is productive?
What is intelligent?
What has a purpose?
Smile

I dont think you cant grow winhout acknowleding growth, sometimes we may grow winhout noticing we are.

@Icon,

Don't know about others, but growth strikes me as an accumulation. You grow by having more experiences, more knowledge, more emotions, and in general just facing the unknown. Why, if you were to stay in a room somewhere and never go out of it, you'd stay just right where you are, not growing.

It also strikes me then that as we are rational beings, the more we accumulate, the more mature we become, it seems. In fact, I don't think growth itself is the maturing process--perhaps maturity is the result of processing and digesting new experiences honestly and intelligently.

Kind of makes sense when you consider the word "grow" originates from eating and physical growth. Only later did it accumulate it's psychological definition. Wink

@Icon,

By the term "growing" isn't the remedy towards the initial question. It's just a means to reach the endgoal.
What it boils down to is the empathy intelligence of the brain, some are born with highly developed empathy some none, such as psycos.

So by maturity is the understanding of certain empathic principles:
- duty
- etiquette
(can't really think of more atm, too messed up)

@Phosphorous,

Phosphorous wrote:

Don't know about others, but growth strikes me as an accumulation. You grow by having more experiences, more knowledge, more emotions, and in general just facing the unknown. Why, if you were to stay in a room somewhere and never go out of it, you'd stay just right where you are, not growing.

Being able to speak about this from point of someone who is fairly old, I would say that you have really hit on one of the most important factors. Just having that experience is a huge advantage, knowing what to do or knowing how to deal with circumstances. But you should never lose the desire to learn new things or just enjoy yourself.
People in my age group who bleat on about their "lost youth" drive me mad. OK, if you are sick or have aches and pains it's easy to want that younger body back again, but to actually want to be a teenager again? No way! My knowledge and experience have given me that greatest of freedoms: being able to know what you really want to do and having no-one around to stop you doing it! :bigsmile:

@Icon,

Growing up means being less stupid than the day you were before. Or being more wise.

@Icon,

If a child believes he is grown then how can he grow? The unenlightened often believes he is wise. If we have the desire to grow then the first step is to believe that we know nothing. Humility is a very potent tool for a thinker. I do not at all believe that growth is subject to age but i do believe that with age we can grow from new experiences. A human is much like a puddle. Raindrops fall into that puddle and become part of it. The ripples create new angles of light and since time is only a term to describe events the puddle remembers. A puddle does one very important thing--- it reflects. A person who can reflect and learn from the smallest things in life is becoming wise.

Concerning holding onto childishness I think we should change our definition a bit. In my opinion childishness is the habitual thought processes and reckless emotions that stunt our growth as a person. We should try to achieve balance. It is good to hold tight to imagination because it is our way of creation and the recipe for new ideas. We should retain the innocence of childhood and bind it with our experiences, loves, and ideas.

@Icon,

I like you Caleb. You seem to have a good grasp on life. And you've given me how that the innocence never fades--unless you let it, of course. Very Happy

@Jose phil,

Jose wrote:

Growing up means being less stupid than the day you were before. Or being more wise.

Nicely said Smile

Caleb wrote:

If a child believes he is grown then how can he grow? The unenlightened often believes he is wise. If we have the desire to grow then the first step is to believe that we know nothing. Humility is a very potent tool for a thinker. I do not at all believe that growth is subject to age but i do believe that with age we can grow from new experiences. A human is much like a puddle. Raindrops fall into that puddle and become part of it. The ripples create new angles of light and since time is only a term to describe events the puddle remembers. A puddle does one very important thing--- it reflects. A person who can reflect and learn from the smallest things in life is becoming wise.

Concerning holding onto childishness I think we should change our definition a bit. In my opinion childishness is the habitual thought processes and reckless emotions that stunt our growth as a person. We should try to achieve balance. It is good to hold tight to imagination because it is our way of creation and the recipe for new ideas. We should retain the innocence of childhood and bind it with our experiences, loves, and ideas.

I think that even someone who thinks he knows everthing is still growing, though not as fast as someone who thinks otherwise. The reason is because even then we are not seeking we got information being added to our memories who may aid us in the future, allowing us to, for example, remember and reconize old patterns and apply then in the present.

@manored,

I must say manored. I do agree with that. I suppose if we do come to our senses we can still look back at our mistakes and learn. Thank you for the insight.

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Growing up: What does it mean?

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