by Shile Odumosu

Created on: August 19, 2009

WHAT'S WITH AGE?

I used to think the obsession with age is strictly an African thing, but that was before i started interacting with people from other continents and cultures.

I have since realised that this age thing and all its other associated issues is really a human rather than a cultural/racial thing.

Majority of ladies for instance, irrespective of their culture or the colour of their skin will consider it an irritation being asked how old they are, except of course they are twenty-one (funny how they are always twenty-one all the time).

How many of us have had to be a little economical with the truth when the issue gets to how old we are. In fact, what is most amusing, is, younger people generally exaggerate their age when asked, while older ones tend to cut some years off. In other words, younger people want to be older, while older people want to be younger. A real bundle of contradiction honestly.

As a growing child, I learnt a valuable lesson from my dad about not allowing age to be a limitation to the heights i can aspire to.

I was in primary school, and had come second best in my class in a term exam. I was pretty excited as i ran home with my report sheet because i thought he would be very pleased with me.

After taking such a long time looking at only God knows what in the report sheet, my dad looked and me and asked, 'so how come you came second and not first?'

I didn't know where it came from, but i just blurted out, 'the boy who topped the class is older than me sir.' Knowing what i now know, that was a very dumb response. My dad really whacked me that day, but i learnt a life lesson, which is that excellence has absolutely nothing to do with age, but on dedication and hard work.

I've never forgotten that lesson even if i was a seven year old, and i had to learn it the hard way.

I think it is somewhat ingrained in our human nature to always want to use age in magnifying our successes or justifying our failures. That's why people make such statements like;

'oh, i graduated from college at 19'

'i made my first million pounds at 20'

'i was already married at 18, and had all my four kids before 30'

Of course there are the losers who are quick to use age as a justification for their failures, so they go;

'well, the reason you're my boss is because you're older than me'

'you're more successful than me because you're older'

'yes, you're more intelligent because you're older than i am'

While i agree that we cannot just wave aside

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