Does getting older = more freedom?

[Revengineer]

As someone who's recently turned 25 (a.k.a. the magic threshold for "real" adulthood) this is a question that I've been thinking about lately. Do you get more freedom when you get older, or does it gradually get taken away? I think that both can be true depending on how you define the concept of freedom. Is it the freedom to accomplish more things or freedom from consequences?

Ideally in a society, it would be that you earn more freedom as you age, and from first glance that does appear to be the case in our society. We get the right to drive, to have sex legally, to vote, to drink alcohol, etc... and at the same time we're also entrusted with more money which supposedly grants more power and freedom. But as anyone who's ever felt imprisoned by their job, bills, or familial obligations can tell you, it's not really that simple.

When you're young you have fewer responsibilities to worry about and less bound by social conventions. People are generally more forgiving of your flaws when you're the age of a college student, while an older person would be judged more harshly (even though it could be argued that anybody has the right to make mistakes regardless of age). So even though you technically have more rights than you did as a child, it's like you're more limited in the risks you can take and therefore more limited in terms of things you can do... if that makes any sense.

Not saying that more responsibility is a bad thing. Only that there's a bunch of fine print that goes along with it.

 

[StarvingZombie]

You have a general idea , but life is a bit more fluid.

Other factors are income bracket , race , location , and age (the elderly can get away with far more than almost any other group {toddlers got em beat}). It also depends on how you spend your adulthood (there is little freedom during the decade{+} it takes to raise rugrats).

Oh and 25 is just a threshold insurance companies have (which does play into less availability for the 18-24 crowd usually items to rent). there is no age really it is a mindset , I know 30yr olds that still haven't become adults as well as 13 yr olds that are suffering the weight of a family.

 

[Peaches]

when one buries himself/herself in unnecessary burdens like a career, a car, a house, success, life passages all in the right order, that is slavery - when one understands that all that is bullshit, that is real freedom

 

[TheWalkingDead]

when one buries himself/herself in unnecessary burdens like a career, a car, a house, success, life passages all in the right order, that is slavery - when one understands that all that is bullshit, that is real freedom

Well put. I know people who earn huge salaries, have big houses, big cars, families, and their freedom is non existent as they have to work hard just to maintain it all.

I guess it doesn't really depend too much on age, although perhaps people are more likely to realise as they get older that their priorities have changed, though people can do this at any age, and some people still follow the same old patterns till they retire and then look back and wonder why they worked so hard now they are too ill/old to enjoy the freedom they have earned... So I guess it depends on the person, their outlook, their age, and what direction their life/relationships etc take...

 

[EveWasFramed]

Balance. 'Nuff said.

 

[Seeker]

I'm 25 too and just taking on more responsibilities myself (a new job, starting to live on my own, etc etc), so I get what you are saying. While I actually feel independent, I most certainly don't feel free, as I now have more responsibilities than I used to have until now. It's a win-loss situation of you ask me

 

[Tiina63]

I am becoming more aware as I age (I am now mid fifties) that when I am elderly I will, for the first time since I was little, be free to be myself. As Starvingzombie has written, the elderly do get away with more than younger adults do. One thing about loneliness is that, in a few years time, it will be socially acceptable for me to say that I am lonely and that people will respond with understanding and empathy as you are 'allowed' to be lonely when you are older. (I hope that I will meet someone and not be lonely then, but if i am still alone, at least I will be allowed to admit to finding it very lonely and difficult) . And I will be allowed to be weak and to have needs. I have found that adulthood in the west is difficult because of the stress to be strong and independent, the pressure to achieve and all that stuff.

 

[Walley]

for the first time since I was little, be free to be myself.

I think that is it right there.
we are actually the most free as children. sure we had rules and parents guarding us and controlling us, but in reality that was the stage in life where we had few obligations or commitments.
elderly would be the next closest thing, but then we are faced with mobility issues that hold us back from complete independence.

 

[Tiina63]

Yes, the main problem with getting older is the higher risk of physical infirmities, including mobility issues.

 

[black_cat]

"But as anyone who's ever felt imprisoned by their job, bills, or familial obligations can tell you, it's not really that simple."

What was it Neil Gaiman said in one of his comics, "You don't have to stay anywhere forever."
The responsibilities are what you make of them. One of the real pleasures of aging is that you know more of what you want, and you have a better idea of what you are willing to sacrifice in order to get it.
Don't worry about how people judge you. You've only got one life to live.

 

[lostatsea]

You answered your own question. Some things are more free, others are less. Your career gets farther along, so your income and financial freedom should be better. But as far as social personal freedom, I think it decreases. Just like you said, you're "allowed" to do more things and make mistakes when you're in college. They call the 20s your selfish years, where you can go out and do whatever you want. Try new things, make mistakes. Old enough to know better, young enough to not care. You're supposed to be discovering who you really are. As you get older, you lose that freedom. You get pigeonholed into your life more and more. They say it's never too late to change your life and who you are. But while that is true it gets harder and harder the older you get. Life change at 25 vs 35, vs 50?

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

There is no threshold for being an adult. You are, when you are.

 

[MTrip]

when one buries himself/herself in unnecessary burdens like a career, a car, a house, success, life passages all in the right order, that is slavery - when one understands that all that is bullshit, that is real freedom

That's true to an extent, but frankly I'd say one's career is damned important these days. Jobs are hard to find & when the alternative is chronic unemployment or a series of soul-crushing, dead end jobs, a career that fits you is quite important & not bullshit at all.

 

[EveWasFramed]

when one buries himself/herself in unnecessary burdens like a career, a car, a house, success, life passages all in the right order, that is slavery - when one understands that all that is bullshit, that is real freedom

That's true to an extent, but frankly I'd say one's career is damned important these days. Jobs are hard to find & when the alternative is chronic unemployment or a series of soul-crushing, dead end jobs, a career that fits you is quite important & not bullshit at all.

^^ Agreed.

 

[LeaningIntoTheMuse]

when one buries himself/herself in unnecessary burdens like a career, a car, a house, success, life passages all in the right order, that is slavery - when one understands that all that is bullshit, that is real freedom

That's true to an extent, but frankly I'd say one's career is damned important these days. Jobs are hard to find & when the alternative is chronic unemployment or a series of soul-crushing, dead end jobs, a career that fits you is quite important & not bullshit at all.

To an extent, yes.

It is important to know how to manage your finances, get on a budget, pay your own bills, manage your career and advance, etc.

However, I'm 31, and I'm just now getting to finish college. I'm also nowhere near the end of my career, just at the beginning. I can't really compare my own life to other people who have careers already in place - I knew, for the past 10 years, that retail wasn't going to be my permanent career, but I still worked it.

It is also important to never lose the childlike wonder that you had as a kid. I feel that wonder when the new technological gadget comes out. I remember being blown away by the iPod in 2005, had to have one, and now I'm blown away by all the tablets and smartphones out there. I bet you in 20 years, what is new then will be something that we couldn't have even imagined now. Also, every genius has a great deal of imagination.

 

[Gutted]

I feel you with the tech. I really enjoy getting my hands on something new and sophisticated. I think with age you do become more free. But also you become more responsible. You're free to do what you want. But you're more likely to pay a price you might not have in your younger days. This is why people miss their childhoods, no?

 

[niceguysfinishlast]

I feel like i only have responsibilities of an adult but without any of the freedoms. The idea of having more freedom as you get older is complete BS.

 

[TheSkaFish]

I feel like i only have responsibilities of an adult but without any of the freedoms. The idea of having more freedom as you get older is complete BS.

I agree completely. You have more freedom as an adult only if you have a lot of money. But I don't, and I really don't feel free at all. In fact, I feel less free than ever. I've always wondered, ever since I was a kid in school, when am I going to get to do what I want? When am I going to be able to decided to go where I want to go and do what I want to do? I've always hated it when someone else told me how it was going to be, you're going to go here and do these specific things for x amount of hours x amount of days. Even as a kid I hated it, the feeling of being forced into servitude, the feeling that I had little to no say in my very own existence. I don't want to be servile. I want to be proud. I want to be able to be good at the things that are important and interesting to me.