30

It's now official. As of today I am no longer in my 20's. It's also official that, contrary to what everyone else thinks I should do, I have no intention of growing up just yet.

There were a number of thoughts that came into my mind in relation to this particular "milestone" on the early stages of today's ride. I suppose the first one is the thought of just how much faster the years seem to pass as we grow older. Why this should be so I don't know, I suppose it has to do with relativity and the fact that as each year passes, it represents a progressively smaller fraction of my time in this world. I know for a fact that I've done more with my life in the last seven years or so than in the previous 23, but for some reason those recent years have passed by much faster. On the other hand, maybe keeping busy is a way to pass the time faster.

My views on the world have also changed considerably in recent years. Not so much in terms of what I'd like to see happen in the world, but more in terms of what I realistically expect will happen. It's fair to say that I'm a lot more cynical at 30 than I was at 20. These days I seem more concerned with simply trying to make the best of whatever situation throws itself at me, regardless of what I think of that situation.

A couple of other things I've realised. Most of the people, institutions and organisations we were taught to respect are not worth the time of day. Most of the people, institutions and organisations we were taught to loathe and fear aren't nearly as bad as made out to be. What others think of me and the way I live is a totally irrelevant and pointless distraction -- I'm better of saying "screw it and follow your conscience and your dreams". Well, I probably knew those all along, but the further I go through life, the sharper the focus they are thrown into.