#generationalgap

Oh wow — you actually read the whole thing and checked the sources. That alone already puts you above 90% of Tumblr discourse. Respect for the effort.

That said — you’ve accidentally demonstrated exactly why the “under-25” boundary exists in the first place.

My post never mentioned “dumb people”. It never targeted you personally. It was about well-documented neurodevelopment facts used in medicine, education and behavioural research for decades.

If someone reads:

“executive functions mature around 25”

as:

“you are stupid”

…that’s not on me. That is the very pattern the research describes: heightened emotional interpretation + reduced inhibition = misreading neutral statements as personal attacks.

And this is precisely why the age guideline exists.

Now, the second part.

To have meaningful debate, I prefer speaking to people who have actually lived independently. Not theoretically, not in essays, but in real life.

Because “life experience” isn’t a poetic concept — it’s:

separating from parents,

making your own decisions,

carrying the real-world consequences,

paying your own bills,

failing, rebuilding, adapting.

Without that, conversations tend to drift into idealistic fantasy worlds — beautiful, but completely detached from how grown-up life actually works.

It’s the same energy as people preaching “pure art ethics” while never having worked as a freelance artist or dealt with clients, deadlines, bills, revisions, or handling productivity tools that literally allow creators to earn more and stress less.

The purity arguments sound nice — until they meet reality. Reality wins every time.

So no — the “under 25” rule isn’t an insult. It’s a boundary. A filter. A way to keep conversations constructive rather than reactive.

And sure — maybe some of the sources I referenced are now considered “dated”. Science evolves, and so do interpretations of data.

But there’s also a far less charitable possibility: certain institutions have a strong incentive to lower the developmental threshold and declare people “fully mature” earlier than they actually are — for policy convenience, for industries that profit from early medical decisions, governments that promote early marriage and reproduction, labour arguments, or educational frameworks.

Because if we look at real behaviour rather than laboratory timelines, the ability to see the world clearly — to regulate emotions, think long-term and respond without spiralling — tends to stabilise far closer to 30 than to 18-20.

Bridging the Generation Gap: Modernizing Workplaces for Millennials

It happens to the best of us. We start hearing those around us, maybe even ourselves sometimes, grumbling about the younger generation. "They use such strange words these days," or "Their work ethic just isn't the same." I get it. I'm nearing 50 myself, and surrounded by a wave of brilliant young colleagues and people in their 20-30s. They have their own lingo ("sending," "slaps," "snatched") and their unique ways of tackling work ("quiet quitting," "chaotic working"). It's easy to feel like we're speaking different languages.

Here's the thing: it's not that they're weird, it's that they're experiencing a whole new world. I remember hearing similar laments from those older than me when I was younger. Maybe it's because, astrologically speaking, there's a shift happening. Those of us approaching 50 grew up in a more grounded, "Earth era" kind of way. The younger generation? They're the rising "Air era," all about communication, innovation, and flexibility.

This isn't a reason to build a generational wall, but rather a bridge. Instead of dismissing their ways as strange, let's see it as an evolution. Their experiences, shaped by a global pandemic no less, are informing their communication styles and work preferences. Perhaps we can learn from their adaptability and embrace new approaches. Maybe they can learn from our experience and build upon it.

The generation gap is not a barrier to overcome, but a bridge to build.

Let us walk hand in hand, uniting our unique strengths and perspectives to create a world where age is not a limitation, but a celebration of the diversity that fuels our collective growth.