...when you choose to keep your silence after hearing harsh comments about yourself. That you know they will only understand why it is the way it is in time to come, because you were once like that too.
...when you mentally re-phrase criticisms repeatedly until you deem it is appropriate before the recipient hears the spoken words.
...when you are still able to keep an open mind to new or other people's approaches to doing certain things, even though you will continue to do it the way you feel most comfortable with.
...when you instinctively put yourself in their shoes and treat them the way you want to be treated.
...when you know what is best and what is right for you and insist on doing it your way because you have tried all others.
...when you are courageous to say what you think instead of expressing it through other channels.
...when you stop thinking about what others can do for you today and start thinking what you can do for others.
...when you stop demanding to be treated like a grown up, because you finally realise in order to be so is to start behaving like one.
...when you are respectful towards those who are more matured than you (though they may not necessarily be older than you), for they have gone through far more situations, challenges, experiences than you before they have arrived at the stage that they are at.
...when you become a parent.
...when you are less judgmental than a year ago and continue to be so as the years pass.
...when you acquire the patience to let them experience it themselves instead of telling them what to or not to do, because experience is the loudest, surest, most mind-imprinting, best lesson.
Maturity is a string of collected experiences from all your aspects of life. Infancy, childhood, school, work, love, friendship, all sorts of relationships, cooking, domestic chores, exposure to different cultures and so on. These experiences mould you, shape you, form you. Everyone's experience is valuable, meaningful, different, worthy and unique. Everyone's maturity is without equal. The more matured you are, the more respectful you are.
Some people are, unfortunately, deprived of gaining and learning from experiences. Or choose not to have any form of new experiences, but instead keep dwelling on and worse, magnifying those minute, old experiences that are barren and inconsequential. Unless you have certain psychic learning disabilities, go all out and experience what life has to offer.
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