Acting in disregard of your better judgement.

Paying for it.

Speaking without care for other’s feelings.

Feeling the pain of someone else’s tears.

Being lazy, feeling good, succumbing to temptation.

Hating yourself.

And then eventually.

You start to learn.

You become less impulsive.

You pause to think before opening your mouth. You learn that some things are better left unsaid.

You learn that some criticisms are fair. You listen, rather than shouting back.

You stop living like a dog, giving in to every urge to eat, sleep, hump, to be gratified on every impulse.

Maturity was never this perfectly defined thing, like an apple in your hand.

It’s the accumulation of mental scars, that you either learn or don’t learn from.

Those that choose to learn, who allow those experiences to inform their behavior, will move forward as better people.

Those who don’t, will remain children