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! As a life is lived, it grows, and there are stages of this growth. In this growing,

there are times of understanding and seeing the world in alternate ways, with similarities

and differences in each aspect. These stages can be simply broken up into two groups:

the life of adults, and the life of children. The ways that life is lived at these two stages

are drastically different but specific aspects in how the mind behaves and how it

reasons situations can be obviously different, or strangely similar. These similarities and

differences between these stages can be compared and contrasted by using thoughts,

actions, and the overall will of a person at a certain age and understanding, as topics for

this argument.

! Adults and children can be contrasted in how they act and the way they

physically respond to situations. Children have been seen to act in a more free manor,

worrying mostly about themselves, over time learning to consider otherʼs views and

feelings when completing an action. Typical adult actions, however, are almost entirely

controlled by thoughts and feelings aware of the world around them. Children act on

impulses, while adults have been mentally trained to act against these impulses, acting

in a way to appear acceptable in their society, generally. There is a lot of pressure on

adults to conform to act a certain way, as there is for children, but only adults feel this

pressure. Children are somewhat aware of what they can get away with, as figuring this

out is one of the basic ways they learn how to act. By the time they reach adulthood

they understand what is acceptable at what times and what is not. Whether they

conform to these standards or not is their choice, but they are aware of the fact that the
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standards do exist. With this knowledge adults decide their actions, aware of the

consequences to some degree.

! Others around them know that they are aware of this, and have expectations,

increasing the pressure to act that way. Children arenʼt expected to be as aware, and

otherʼs expectations are lower for them, allowing children more freedom under this

pressure. So as children act on their impulses and learn what is acceptable, they begin

to understand how to control their actions. This knowledge is always present in their

actions as they become adults, as they now wear the pressure of conformity with every

step they take.

! The thoughts behind these actions, unseen however, can have more similarities

than the actual actions that are carried out. There is an obvious mental difference in

learning abilities and other capabilities between children minds and adult minds, but the

basic thoughts, instinctive thoughts, still remain. Thoughts will be free and selfish, and

not governed in the same way that actions are. This allows thoughts to express the real

intentions, and to be more than their actions. Children allow these thoughts to control

their actions more freely than adults do, making the link between thoughts and actions

more direct and less controlled, the opposite of how adultʼs tend to be. Adults have to

sort their thoughts through filters, making sure the actions born from these thoughts

represent who the adult is trying to be seen as. Because of this, adults have to hold and

process so many more thoughts than children do, adding more and more stress to adult

lives. Of course having access to these thoughts can lead to a more rewarding life for

adults, but this life is definitely not simpler than the standard childʼs life.!
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! For most of a childʼs life they are learning the basics of life. Most of the time they

are provided with what is needed to survive and they can focus on discovering how the

world around them works and how they are a part of that system. In a childʼs life, they

can experience many different activities that will allow them to see the structure of the

things around them, and begin to learn how they will eventually be a part of this

structure. They are pushed along and guided by others towards a time in their lives

when they will no longer need to be pushed. When that comes along, and they are

expected to push themselves forward, they may gladly move along, or they may be

hesitant to take the first steps. Growing up, they may have looked forward to this time,

or they may have feared itʼs arrival. Once it has appeared they can only move forward.

After they have been left on their own they can only take what they have learned to

prepare them for the next time, and once they are able to, or sometimes forced to, stand

up to the challenge, they will become adults.

! As adults, they will be seen as capable of standing on their own feet, they will

have to rely mostly on themselves, and they will be in charge of obtaining what they

want and need to be satisfied. Trying to reach this success is the life of an adult, and in

order to reach this goal, they must not only work hard, but be very lucky. They will

become aware that they choose their direction now, but they will have to accept that if

they want to get anywhere, they will be the one fueling the movement. This is what

really defines adulthood, and not everyones makes it there, but for those who do, they

definitely will see the difference between being an adult and living as a child. Though
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there are differences, some things remain similar, proving that the from every adult,

originated a child.

! From thoughts, actions are formed, and these thoughts and actions can be

drastically different or surprisingly similar, but what is most unique about the stages of

adulthood versus the stages of childhood are each stagesʼ ability to do what they desire,

and to do it for the reason they wish to. This is the will of a person, and for children and

adults, both are strong, in various ways. One could define the two wills as the focused

will of adults versus the natural will of children. A childʼs willpower comes from the

strength of their desires, it is their way of attaining freedom, usually a specific freedom

that only applies to the immediate range of the freedom asked for. Because children rely

and have to trust others to grant their desires so much, when the time comes that they

do want something that has not been given to them, they will have to ask and if not

received they can only complain or try another way. A child will ask because they feel

this need, they will have to learn when and what to ask to see if what they want is really

attainable. When a child wants, it will be an instinctive want, and they will have to learn

how to repress these wants when they are unattainable. The younger life of a child,

however, will not be very concerned as to how reasonable the situation is, but whether

or not it can be gained. A child will be willing to do a vast amount of things, if the child

feels that they really do need it, and during this time, the want will be their prime

concern. Over time otherʼs opinions will be taken into consideration, but will not have a

tremendous influence over the desire. For adults this is a completely different story.
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! When adults want something, one of the main factors will be what others think

about the decision they make. But this is not the biggest difference between the wants

of children and the desires of adults. Adults are expected to be able to fight for

themselves and be the only reliable way to get what they want. If an adult is unable to

obtain what they seek, they can only blame themselves. Also, since many adults are

given the freedom to design their life rather than be dragged through it, their aspirations

can be completed on a much grander scale and more likely be made into a reality, if the

effort is present. Children may have big dreams, but may be unable to reach them with

their current capabilities, so dreams such as these are more likely attained as an adult.

However, by the time the child reaches the stage of adulthood they may feel the

pressure of the world and decide that the dream is no longer worth chasing. If they want

a dream to survive, it has to be strong enough, as do the adults themselves. Adults are

aware of this, and if they truly feel that they require something, they must be willing to

go after it. If they are willing to pursue something, they must be aware of what the

consequences are, and how they will be perceived from their decisions. Adults keep this

knowledge with them when listening to their desires, and if the desire is carried out it will

most likely be backed up with focus and motivation, not just pure impulse. There are

moments, however, when adults do experience impulsive desires, and children learn to

focus their desires, for these are only the expectations adults and children have been

set to.

! In reality children and adults have many similarities that are learned to be

controlled and trained into differences. Similar thought may produce different actions,
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and willpower may be impulsive and momentary, or focused to thrive into a reality. Time

will grow them and they will learn what they are expected of. They will have dreams and

desires and will be held back and pushed forward by their society, but will ultimately

make all of the decisions. What they learn as a child, and what they choose to

remember as an adult will shape them into the human that they are, whether defined as

child or adult. They will have their own thoughts, their own actions, and their individual

will to drift them through their life, unique to them only.