Friday, April 22, 2011

Relative Power Corrupts Relatively

It’s all about being a grown-up. No, for once I’m not talking about age. (Crone, hag, blah blah, BFD.) The biggest difference between maturity and immaturity is responsibility. The rest is just details.

Non-adults have obligations and protocols and sophisticated social structures to navigate. Teenagers have high school, 20/30-somethings have work, Gen X has World of Warcraft… you get the idea. They understand about consequences because they’ve gotten their asses kicked often enough. They just don’t have to worry about mortgages or taxes or repairs. We do. Which reminds me, I have to take my car in for an oil change, but that can wait.

“But I have to get an oil change too!” Yes, I can hear you. You don’t have to shout. Of course you have to worry about paying for that new iPad, or ski trip, or whatever it is. That’s not what I mean by “responsibility”. Responsibility is when your decisions affect other people. And that sucks hard core.

Deciding what information to trust, or what action to take, when a wrong choice will damage the people you love --- that’s responsibility. Having 3:00 a.m. anxiety attacks is what it means to be a grown-up. If it doesn’t give you smudges, bags or wrinkles, you’re either not taking it seriously enough or it doesn’t matter that much.

All of which might explain why I know that it’s exactly eight weeks and two days before the next possible Vegas trip. Of course I’ll get through it. I’m a grown-up.

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