Age

            When people (teenagers/young adults) are 18 we can legally vote and volunteer for the army. We were talking about the transition from childhood to adulthood in AIS and many of my classmates said that it was for you to decide if you felt like an adult. But really the government is telling us because really we don't have very many rights to participate in governmental workings until we are eighteen or older. 

             I agree that it is for us to decide because there may be events that force people to grow up sooner than we otherwise would have (perhaps). This could be an emotional event, going off to college or turning 21. I wonder how the government decided on 21 as the age that people were legally considered adults. Is it that by then the government officials think that people are "sufficiently mature" by then? Or is it somehow biologically determined?

             Either way I think it's curious that at eighteen we can help decide our government's officials, and fight, kill, and/or die for America in the Army. Yet they are not trusted or allowed to have a drink? Based on that I think that the drinking age should be lowered back to 18 which was only changed in 1984. That is very recent and I don't think that raising the drinking age has done very much to prevent younger people from drinking.

           In fact, many teens or anyone under 21 might think that because it is illegal to drink, that if they do it makes them cool and  rebellious. But if the drinking age was lowered maybe it wouldn't be as "cool" anymore. Which might then induce be less accidents due to drinking and driving or alcohol poisoning. If they don't have to wait so long to experience this then when they finally can it isn't as big of a deal, I would think. 

         The government should realize that it greatly influences American society which, in turn, influences us (the people). So by setting the age of 21 as becoming a legal adult, that is the age that many also say they are adults based purely on that. Age is based on surroundings and personality, not how many years you have lived (though that may be part of it). But whether you consider yourself an adult or still a child depends on you.