No More Age of Majority!
Eighteen-year-olds rejoice! You can legally [almost] do whatever you want. You know why? Because in Canada, you are legally considered an adult! But wait, there's more! Do you know what you did to sanction yourself as an adult? You pretty much just turned eighteen on your birthday. I bet you feel special. But so what? Are you ready? Probably not. What I'm trying to say here is that everyone matures at a different rate, so two people who are chronologically eighteen may not be there psychologically. Come on people! Our government assumes everyone matures at the same level, and we trust these guys to run our country! When we turn eighteen, with Canada being a democracy and all, we get to vote. The fate of our country - the decision of our future leader - is in our hands. There are eighteen-year-olds in high school. I dare you to round up a bunch of 'young adults' and see how many of them are actually prepared, or willing to vote. Fortunately or unfortunately for us, we can choose our leaders, but not [necessarily] our children. And children grow up. Fast. Think of it this way: our kids can drive at sixteen. Sixteen-year-olds are in grade ten or eleven. Sixteen-year-olds are concerned about partying, and trends, and maybe school. Nineteen-year-olds are allowed to drink. Nineteen-year-olds are focused on pretty much the same stuff. So why do we get to drive before we drink? Because we can't drink before we drive! Get it? But really, I was in a car accident with my friend and her drunken father. Guess who was driving? Guess who was drinking? Guess who was not sixteen, or eighteen, or nineteen, but fifty-two?! My friend's immature father. Right! Good job! Please tell me why we are allowed to decide the fate of a country before we can consume alcohol. I can't quite seem to figure it out. My suggestion is instead of just considering someone a legal adult because they turn eighteen, there should be a written test - ON ETHICS - issued to eighteen-year-olds. You don't pass a course if you don't do the work. You don't get dessert if you don't eat dinner. You can't drive just because you turn sixteen - you need a license. The same should go for 'adults', because an eighteen-year-old is not a grown up.
-Alissa Rothman
Edited by: Alon Givaty
