...of voting age

Talks about lowered age limit on voting are again quite common. I’m not sure whether I’m against this or not, but there are two things that worries me. Keep in mind that even though I use stereotypes, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all people would act according to them or that the stereotypes that I’m talking about, would even vote. And of course, many of our young people are clever and they do recognize these things in themselves and hopefully don’t do decisions where they cannot evaluate things at hand.

16 year old people tend to be very egoistic and self-centered. Some of this is of course due to the lack of life experience, but that’s not all. Very much is because of the normal human development and process that will get us to adulthood. That process happens within ourselves and it will automatically steer the perception towards ourselves, inside us. Much of the changes are all the time reflected from other people, but the perception is on positioning oneself as a member of society. Towards self – own physical and mental attributes – not towards others as one might quickly think. Others work only as a mirror. This all turns the eyes on and inside oneself at very delicate moment of life, when the identity is just forming. Young people can be very preservative and conservative even though this usually is because of different reasons than the older people. Older people tend to think more of aspects that maintain community because the own identity has already formed.

Second thing is the short-sightedness. In most of the situations young people are looking for quick fulfillment. Most of the things should happen now, preferably very soon. Patience is the virtue that even I, at the age of 30, don’t have enough yet. This is the thing that can be used when trying to effect on young people’s opinions. Adults do know that good things come to those who wait. Revolution after revolution is not a way to build up a solid, tight and healthy society. But this short-sightedness would affect so that adults could mislead young people into something that they eventually don’t want.

When I was in the age of 16 – and many years later – I did recognize these things within me. But never in the world I was able to do the judgments I’m capable today. I’m not even near to perfect now, but I do know that much, that the world I would’ve built when I was 16, would’ve been quite a utopia. Not just a dream, but pure utopia with its dreamlike, but also nightmarish components.

I’m not telling that the youth shouldn’t be listened. They should. And they should be taken into decision making processes to learn about our society. But I could'nt carry the responsibility of my decisions today that were made at the time I had just a little understanding of the world. To listen and to take into account is totally different thing compared to demanding decisions. Young people voting would fit on something that has no direct effect on anyone’s wellbeing or human rights, but on political decision making, I cannot recommend.