TEN STEPS TO MENTAL MATURITY

A thin line divides a mature person from an immature person. It is said of the former !"e is mature for
his #ears.$ Of the latter !"e is too immature for his #ears.$ The former is %omplimentar# the latter
%ondemnator#. &i%tionar# meanin' helps illustrate it further. Mature is full# developed perfe%ted ripe.
Thus the mature person is full# developed in arts of human relationships( has a%)uired some sem*lan%e
of perfe%tion and is ripe in the +a#s of the +orld.
Althou'h these )ualities should %ome naturall# +ith %alendar #ears in man# %ases the# do not. People
*e%ome !ripe$ in #ears not in the arts and 'ra%es of livin'. The an'ularities of personalit# remain sharp
and pointed. The# are not rounded off.
A #oun' man sa# of t+ent# intervenes in a fi'ht *et+een t+o men in their forties and saves them
from sta**in' ea%h other is praised. "e is a person of mature ,ud'ement. Immaturit# is %ommon. Ran*ir
is in middle life. "e e-pe%ts his +ife to mother him as his o+n mother had in earlier #ears. "e is
dependent and +ants to pamperin' or thro+s tantrums.
The mature one is ripe in thin.in'. "e is not 'oaded or 'uided *# pre,udi%e +hi%h means pre%on%eived
notions a*out persons and thin's.
Pre,udi%e means ,ud'ement *efore all the fa%ts are .no+n. The immature are prone to ,ump to hast#
%on%lusions espe%iall# #oun' people. The mature person is prepared to +ait to suspend ,ud'ement until
he .no+s all the fa%ts.
The mature person has no leanin' to superstitions. In fa%t he revels in .no%.in' them for si-. "e +ill
+al. +here the *la%. %at does +ith a 'rin. Thirteen leaves him unpertur*ed. Little *# little he roots out
superstitions %onne%ted +ith his reli'ion dail# life and ma.es the ne%essar# ad,ustments as far as he
himself is %on%erned.
"e re%o'ni/es that superstitions are a le'a%# of the past +hen i'noran%e and illo'i%al thin.in' +ere the
order of the da#. 0no+led'e and sane thin.in' free him from the foolish fears and restri%tions that
superstitions la# upon him. Superstition is the reli'ion of the fee*le minds.
The mature person is i'norant of man# thin's *ut he .no+s it. The immature person is i'norant of
man# thin's and doesn1t .no+ it. The former is ever see.in' to e-tend the *ounds of his .no+led'e. "e
detests the *lind mind and the paro%hial outloo.. "is a%tions and thin.in' reveal his +ide interests and
his attempts to s%atter his o+n i'noran%e.
"e adheres to *asi% prin%iple2 the +ise man .no+s he is a fool. The fool thin.s he is a +ise man.
"e +ho has a%)uired maturit# see.s to eradi%ate fear from his life. "e has found that !perfe%t love %asts
out fear$. Rather than fear his fello+s he interests himself in them. "e tries to understand +h# the#
*ehave as the# do and the +hole *ent of his life is to+ards helpin' them.
Logic
To3.eep himself on lo'i%4path he ever reminds himself of So%rates1 +ords2 !I don1t .no+.$ These three
+ords *elieves So%rates are the *e'innin' of all .no+led'e. An i'norant man thin.s he .no+s all.
5ut maturit# is somethin' more than the mere a*sen%e of pre,udi%e i'noran%e and superstition.
The mature person has no fears for his health. "is temperate life his 'ood relationships +ith others
plus his refusal to +orr# have *rou'ht to him a state of 'ood health in +hi%h he is %onfident he +ill
remain.
"e does not fear for the future( he has ta.en +hat steps he %an to provide for it. 6or the rest he has
suffi%ient %onfiden%e in himself and in Life to .no+ there is no %ause for an-iet#. 7esus +as a mature
person par e-%ellen%e and his sane %ounsel %omes do+n to us throu'h the a'es8!Ta.e no an-ious
thou'ht for the morro+.$
More positivel# the mature person is 'enerall# found to possess the follo+in' )ualities2 The mature
person remem*ers that there is more than one +a# of loo.in' at ever# )uestion. The other fello+ ma#
*e ri'ht( he himself does not ne%essaril# possess a monopol# of the truth. In an# %ase the parti%ular
alle'ian%e of *oth parties +as lar'el# %aused *# %ir%umstan%es over +hi%h the# had no %ontrol.
Maturit# sa#s !Live and let live9$ It reali/es that there are fe+ evils that do not %ontain some 'ood and
+hen man does attain to some truth it )ui%.l# *e%omes %ontaminated +ith error. Maturit# then .eeps
a man from *ein' %o%.sure do'mati% %on%eited proud. Instead it ma.es him 'entle mee. and
tolerant.
:here a man has rea%hed maturit# of mind he is not so preo%%upied +ith himself as to *e re'ardless of
the %omfort and feelin's of others. "e puts himself ima'inativel# in the pla%e of others and rea%ts
a%%ordin'l#. "e is *i' enou'h to do this. S%riptures %all man.ind to maturit# +hen he laid do+n ;olden
Rules.
"e is o*,e%tive. "e loo.s upon people and tri%.# situations in a deta%hed manner. "e is li.e a painter
+ho steps *a%. t+o feet from his %anvas so that he ma# %riti%all# vie+ his o+n +or.. Not merel# to
flatter himself *ut to improve his +or..
Reliable
The mature person is relia*le as he is master of his moods. "e possesses $sti%.a*ilit#$ and is not easil#
upset *# irritations. "e is prepared to +or. for o*,e%tive8somethin' that ma# not materiali/e for #ears.
"e is %heerful *e%ause he does not ta.e himself too seriousl#. "e %an *e reprimanded +ithout sul.in'
and lose +ith 'ood 'ra%e. "e has no pla%e for self4pit#. "e ta.es full responsi*ilit# for his a%tions and
does not loo. for s%ape'oats.
"e seldom ridi%ules others. 5ut he has a sense of humour. "e .no+s that the funniest person in the
+orld %an *e seen +hen he loo.s in his o+n mirror9
No one %ould %all himself mature if he *ears 'rud'es or allo+s hatreds to fester in his mind. Neither is
he mature if he indul'es in env# or pett# sta**in's and mean reven'e.
Is it possi*le for the avera'e person to ta.e steps to hasten the advent of this desira*le state of
maturit#3 The ans+er is definitel# in the affirmative. It is more *lessed to 'ive than 'et. This is possi*le
if #ou turn out+ards others than in+ards to #our o+n self. Alfred Adler sa#s !Ever# human *ein' strives
for si'nifi%an%e *ut people al+a#s ma.e mista.es if the# do not see that their +hole si'nifi%an%e must
%onsist in their %ontri*ution to the lives of others.$
:e have all en%ountered the artful dod'er in our life. "e is an e-pert in 'oin' to the toilet for a smo.e
and a drin. on the sl# and a do/en other tri%.s to hood+in. others. &oes an#*od# applaud him33"e is
lau'hed at for his mental immaturit#.
Man has an in%redi*le %apa%it# for self4de%eption. "uman *ein's love to live in a +orld of ma.e4*elieve
and the# are relu%tant to %ome out of it. It is *e%ause the# find life easier in a +orld of fantas#. Life is
harsh and hard. "en%e fa%ts are seen as unpleasant. The need for self4de%eption and to %lin' to
mis%on%eption pre,udi%e and +ishful thin.in'8all are mar.s of
immaturit#.
Funk-Holes
6a%in' fa%ts is painful even distur*in' *ut it has one advanta'e8+e %ome out stron'er and maturer.
There is no point in remainin' in mental %o%oon. You must have a dialo'ue +ith #our o+n soul. 6ind out
fun.4holes. Prod them out. This is one sure +a# to mental maturit#.
In the first pla%e read +idel# espe%iall# histor# and *io'raph#. If possi*le master another lan'ua'e
suffi%ientl# to 'et a%)uainted +ith some of its 'reat literature.
Se%ondl# thin. deepl#. Meditate on +hat #ou read the trend of events in the +orld toda# man1s past
and pro*a*le future. Ponder the 'reat su*lime topi%s +hi%h have en'a'ed the human mind for %enturies
8the m#steries of *irth and death the possi*ilit# of survival after death.
Thirdl# travel. &o this as mu%h as #ou %an. <ar# #our e-perien%e as mu%h as possi*le. Mi- +ith all t#pes
of people. Listen and +at%h %arefull#. Travel is a li*eral edu%ation. !Loo. +ide$ is the motto #ou %an +ell
adopt if see.in' maturit#.
Lastl# stud# ps#%holo'#. More perhaps than an# other su*,e%t ps#%holo'# fosters the mature outloo..
This is *e%ause it ena*les us to understand ourselves and others. The #oun' and the immature %annot
do this. The# find *u**lin' up +ithin themselves all .inds of emotions and the# are at a loss to re%o'ni/e
or e-plain them.
Ps#%holo'ists have anal#sed the human mind and la*elled its in'redients. The# also offer advi%e on ho+
those in'redients %an *est *e used and %ontrolled.
Nutshell
In a nutshell maturit# is2
=. Mental intelle%tual 'ro+th. It is not related to #ears.
>. It means freedom from dependen%e of all sorts.
?. 6reedom from pre,udi%e.
@. 6reedom from superstition.
A. 6reedom from fear i'noran%e.
B. Thin.in' of others.
C. Relia*le
D. Master of his moods.
E. "as a sense of humour.
=F. 0no+led'ea*le.