I saw one of those posts where someone writes down a “deep” thought on a piece of paper and then takes a photo of them holding it up. It said “The problem with our generation is that we grew up too fast.”

Ok, what? Which generation are we comparing ourselves to? Some idealized picture of the 1950s where every young person was chaste and studious and wore cardigans?

It wasn’t too long ago when child labor was still legal. When most everyone except the elite finished their education in their early teens so they could get practical work experience and earn their keep. In medieval Europe most people got married before their twenties and nowadays many people are staying unwed longer and longer. It’s estimated that in many pre-industrial societies that infant mortality was high, but if you lived to 15 you could expect to live another few decades to the old age of 52. People had to grow up fast when your mid-twenties would be considered middle-aged.

I don’t know, maybe that statement is defensible somehow, that we “grew up too fast.” But who are we growing up faster than, exactly?