I recently read an article about
the uniqueness of the twenty something brain. It started by listing some of the
great men of history and the incredible things they did all before the age of
thirty. At 25, Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the
Atlantic and Alexander the Great became King of Persia. At ages 20 and 21, Bill
Gates cofounded Microsoft and Steve Jobs cofounded Apple. Albert Einstein
fundamentally changed man’s view of the universe and Napoleon Bonaparte
conquered Italy all at the ripe old age of 26.
And then there’s me. My greatest
accomplishment in the last year was when I beat my coworkers in an all you can
eat sushi challenge on our lunch break. Now, I realize that it is not fair to
compare yourself to those who have made history. Some of the hero’s of the
‘Greatest Generation’ might have gone through life unnoticed had there not been
a World War to prove themselves. Adversity and circumstance may test what we
are really made of, but there has to be something innate that drives our
adolescent desire to “do big things, take risks, and experience everything.”
Below is a picture of a developing
brain. It highlights an area known as the Dorsal Lateral Prefrontal Cortex to
show lack of complete development even into the early twenties. Apparently this
portion of the brain is responsible for the executive functions, otherwise
known as the voice of restraint, responsibility, and making of “safer” choices.
Under this theory, my passion to
experience life to the fullest is dwindling by the minute as my brain continues
to develop. Seems a bit contradictory to me and I’m not sure I buy it. I
believe this age range encourages the
desire to search out new experiences and take big risks, but I don’t think it
restricts these life changing passions to a mere decade of opportunity.
Once my brain is fully matured, the
voice of restraint and responsibility will still not govern the ability to do
great things. Even though my prefrontal cortex is unfortunately developing as I
write this, I choose to not let that
and the three walls of this cubical smother the risk taking enthusiasm reserved
for adolescence. And if competing in an all you can eat sushi challenge on a
Tuesday afternoon is a sign of doing great things in your twenties, then
consider me undeveloped.
