About two weeks ago, I had a very interesting conversation with a teenager. Her formative years were spent in Muscat, in a popular school where a lot of my other friends studied (many years ago!).
We were engrossed in comparing Muscat schools vs. the ones here in Chennai. We are roughly ten years apart in age but it didn't seem like much had changed as far as the school-scene is concerned.
When I enquired about a friend that she was mentioning in one of her stories, she was very quick to point out that the girl wasn't a "friend". How could she be? She was TWO YEARS younger than her! This was her reasoning.
That's when I realised how much of importance we give to 'age' as a 'number' in schools and colleges. Today I work with people, some of whom are ten years older than me, some are five years younger than me, all in the same team - and it's a level playing field for all! After a point you don't even think about how old your teammate is. It's just the skills or talent that matters.
But when you're in school, somehow your brain maps your seniors / juniors very differently. They cannot be your 'friends' since they aren't your age. Surprising, isn't it? You would look at seniors as know-it-all's and underestimate your juniors' maturity levels. Even if they are barely months younger or older to you.
All of this doesn't really matter after you cross 20. Really! So, how old are you? You're just as old as you want others to see...
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