Legally, I became an adult at 18—a fully grown organism by societal standards. Throughout my life, I’ve been responsible, self‑reliant, and accountable, yet none of those traits ever made me feel like an adult. Instead, my defining moments came whenever someone told me to “grow up.”
At first, those words pushed me inward. It became clear that their version of adulthood didn’t align with mine. Over time, I realized that “growing up” isn’t a fixed destination; it’s a continuum of situational awareness. Because I heard that phrase so often, expanding my awareness became a lifelong practice. Every challenge to “grow up” led me to a deeper level of contemplation—and, ironically, made me realize how much I still had to learn.
I don’t feel much different today. I’m constantly confronted by other people’s perspectives and unique levels of awareness, which remind me how far I still have to go. But I’ve come to see this as a gift. Each new perspective awakens me to a higher level of being. That is where I experience true growth—because every time my awareness elevates, I am quite literally growing upward. By the clock and the law, I am an adult. But as for growing up? The journey never ends.
In truth, adulthood isn’t a summit we reach but a staircase we keep climbing. Each step reveals another layer of understanding, another chance to see ourselves and others with greater compassion. The ascent may be endless, but that’s its beauty — we are always becoming, always unfolding, always learning how to stand taller in the light of awareness!
A lovely staircase indeed—but I wonder if we’re all climbing the same one.
Some days adulthood doesn’t feel like ascending. It feels like discovering the staircase was leaning against the wrong wall, climbing back down, helping someone else up, or simply sitting on the landing with a sandwich while watching the pigeons conduct parliament.
Wisdom may grow taller, but it also grows humbler. Eventually you stop asking, ‘How high have I climbed?’ and start asking, ‘Who needs a hand on this step?
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection, Chuckster! I love how you expanded the metaphor — especially the idea of staircases leaning against the wrong wall or pausing on a landing with a sandwich. You’re right that adulthood takes many shapes, and we each move through it differently. My post was simply my own experience of growing upward in awareness, and your perspective adds a beautiful layer to that conversation! Thanks for sharing!
A beautiful reflection on the difference between growing older and growing upward. Adulthood may be granted by law, but maturity is earned through awareness, humility, and the willingness to keep learning.
I especially love the idea that every challenge to “grow up” can become an invitation to grow inward and therefore upward. Perhaps true maturity is not reaching a final state of knowing, but remaining humble enough to discover how much more there is to understand.
We do not become adults once; we become more conscious human beings, one step at a time.
Thank you, Vijay for this thoughtful reflection! I love how you describe the difference between growing older and growing upward — that distinction is at the heart of what I was exploring. Your point about maturity being earned through humility and continued learning resonates deeply with me. We really do become more conscious one step at a time, each moment offering us another chance to grow inward and upward.
Dear Betty, What an exquisite, wise, and liberating perspective on what it truly means to “grow up”! You have transformed a phrase often used to restrict people into a luminous invitation for continuous inner expansion. In the Szigetingy Philosophy, we speak of Time as the realm of unfolding, and Transition as the natural rhythm of existence. Real maturity is never a fixed summit or a rigid status – it is precisely this courage to remain open, to elevate one’s awareness, and to stay in a state of continuous becoming. To see every new perspective not as a threat, but as a staircase toward deeper compassion, is the mark of a truly awakened spirit. Thank you for sharing such an uplifting and poetic truth! 🕊️
Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection, Gyorgy! I’m deeply moved by your thoughtful words and the way you’ve expanded the idea of growing up into something so spacious, compassionate, and alive! I especially love your framing of maturity as a state of continuous becoming — that resonates so deeply with what I was trying to express. Thank you for sharing such a luminous perspective!
Truly a great post describing the ascent of adulthood. Or, descent? At any rate, in my 60’s and I am still adulting. My third (adult) child told me adulting was no fun. He didn’t want to do it. I told him to join the club. But in full disclosure, it’s nice to know you aren’t in the boat alone. That the fruit of the experience is growth.
“the fruit of the experience is growth.” That is beautifully stated, SanVercell! Thank you for that contribution! Amen!🙏🕊️
I somehow got unsubscribed to your blog; I have fixed that and I am glad to be back reading your posts! Hope you are well!