A clear distinction has to be made between a person's age and his mental state. Whereas some people never seem to grow up and always continue to cherish the little child inside them, others grow old before their age. The natural freedom fighter I am, I wonder if we can ever classify people by their age with an easy conscience. I find that age is a sensitive subject to address, whomever you may find yourself in a conversation with - friend or stranger, boss or (God forbid) spouse. The reason behind this is that there is no person whose mental growth evolves in the same pace as his body's. Therefore people do not identify themselves with their actual age and rather with their conceptual age. I dare to even state that people hardly ever think about their actual age, apart from birthdays and (unpleasant) encounters with people who bring the subject forth. It is the notion of one's conceptual age that truly defines him. As such the term 'age' in conceptual age is a totally alien concept. Preferably we'd be talking about someone's self-image, or 'idea' which I prefer to call it.
Qu'est-ce qu'un adulte? Un enfant gonflé d'âge.
Simone de Beauvoir
Does one's idea mean we should neglect his age, or should we try to add it to the equation?
