Monday, November 9, 2009
How old is too old?
The question posed is, assuming that rumspringa is a good idea, at what age should it occur? To me, it is a question of when a person comes into their own sentience but has not yet solidified their world views. In this view, I see 16 as a perfectly acceptable age for rumspringa. I can see arguments the could be made to push the age a little bit older, so that actions taken may be committed by legal adults, not minors, but his sort of definition of person is an arbitrary age mark set by another culture. If the Amish believe that 16 is the age at which personal development is at a crossroads, when questions about the ways of life are forming, then 16 is the age at which rumspringa should take place. In my own mind, I liken rumspringa to a b'nai-mitzvah for a Jewish adolescent. It is an event or ceremony that takes place to recognize an adolescent as an adult member of the community. If the event is completed, then that person shall be seen as an adult. B'nai-mitzvah's occur at 13, generally, and this age has always seemed a bit antiquated to me. Rumspringa, is comparison, is not only more informative for adolescents but it occurs at a much better age. The main point is, if rumspringa was for people under 16, they would be unable to act independently and experience the outside world; if rumspringa was for people over 16, there beliefs would be more concrete and less open to the outside world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's interesting that you use the term 'legal adult' here, Ethan! For we don't actually have such a concept per se -- though we do have varying age limits (typically 18 or 21) for various concerns that we consider 'adult': voting, drinking, ability to give consent for sex & other things, getting into a bar at all. And these ages are decided upon by, well, us! For example, it was once the case that 21 was the voting age; then, during the Vietnam War, the 26th Amendment was made to the Constitution, which lowered the age to 18 (this was in reaction to pressure from young people!).
ReplyDeleteOne major issue I can see with rumspringa being at age 16 is the fact that, physically speaking, the brain isn't fully mature yet.There's no doubt that the Amish parents know what kind of things their children are going to be doing, and they should be mindful of the effects drugs and alcohol can have on an underdeveloped mind. What age, then, would be more appropriate? I've heard that the US drinking age of 21 was chosen because it marked the point where one's mind was fully mature (generally speaking, of course). If the Amish moved rumspringa all the way to the age of 21, that may be too late, and their children may have already formed steadfast opinions about their way of life, as Ethan suggested.
ReplyDelete