Age is a touchy subject to discuss in today's society. To be young, an adolescent, is viewed nearly the same as being a newborn child. As if light bulbs in their heads don't begin to brighten until the frightening age of 18. Teens don't have a say in how they are treated. An adult is rude to a child or teenager, and they must bow their heads and seal their lips in fear that if they defend themselves they will be penalized. They are told to sit down and shut up because any opinion they formed are not valid because they aren't old enough to understand anything. At 18 that changes though, because a few measly months completely transform the brain into a mature, full functioning mind. Anyone from 18 until 30 are viewed as gods. Beings so lucky to be in the prime of their existence, yet so unlucky to be forced into decisions and pressures of the future (which have been previously ignored for the first two decades of their lives). Family, adventure, job, support, home, love, fun, party, responsibility. All of these ideals are shoved into this short time frame of being adults while also craving to taste what the world has to offer. 31 to 50 comes. You have, ideally, settled and figured out your life. You should be completely secure, and hopefully happier than ever imaginable. So long as the marriage you rushed into is not crumbling due to money issues and stress. And the children you need to raise are safe and fed and responsible. And the job you were forced to choose in your youth is really the right one for you, because god forbid your passions change as you evolve into a new and more seasoned human being. Then there are the years of being deemed as "middle aged", your life coming to its later years, expected to just continue life as you have for the entire first half of your existence. Yet what you have known your whole life may not be what you want for the rest of it. The people you once cared about get lost in the fast paced life you were determined to live. Your money struggles have become a norm, as well as the aches and pains you now feel throughout your body, not just in your pounding head. The woman or man you vowed to spend your life with may not seem as if they even inhabit their own body anymore. Instead, they are just another prop in this show that has become your life. Wake up, eat, work, eat, s***, sleep, repeat. You feel like your life is a routine that is never changing and that you'll never ever regain control of what is, in actuality, yours. 70 to whatever, and you sit and eat and run errands and watch mindless tv to distract yourself from the nagging thoughts of dissatisfaction. You sit and regret. You regret every yes you wanted to be a no and every no you wanted to be a yes. You regret the responsibilities that were shoved upon you by others and the never ending worries that crashed down on you before you could even drink your morning coffee. You regret the real loves lost and the false loves lived. You regret that once you wanted to grow up, because no one ever took you seriously. But now you see that serious isn't fun or rewarding; its fake and horrible and depressing. And you now understand that you'd rather be that bright and eager 16 year old kid with dreams and ideas who wasn't listened to than to be this fully grown person whose dreams had died long ago from the lack of care the world has for its fellow man.

The number we call our age shouldn't determine our worth.
People should have a life, any life they want, any time they want it.
At 50 a human can be educated. At 17 a human can write a book. At 80 a human can fall in love for the first time. Age is real, the time frames of what must occur within those ages are the illusion.