Coming of Age Philosophy Essay Sample

The theme of this issue is coming-of-age, a topic so popular because it is so applicable. If we investigate the history of a ‘bildungsroman’ concept, we find a slew of classic folk-tales and novels, all centered around this theme of maturation. In these stories, we follow characters through their naivety and inexperience, as they change, and grow. These stories garner so much success as a result of their character development, and what it means for the reader; change is what makes a story applicable to our lives, regardless of plot or narrative value. Our fascination with these stories ultimately lies within our desire to grow, our motivation to improve, and to mature.

 As a young person facing the tribulations of a future, in which my decisions have consequences related to my quality of existence, I cannot help realizing my own naivety, and how brutally unprepared I must be to face life. The philosophical idea of coming-of-age however, presents a trajectory for success: if we experience enough, examine enough of our life and circumstances, we will “come of age”. This ideal finds its footing in the idea that there is an event or experience we can point to as a break of a threshold into understanding. In bildungsroman literature, an epiphany is presented as this point, where our character fractures the barriers of inexperience and is able to glean an examined message about their life. In our lives, Epiphany is an idealized literary concept we all ceaselessly try to achieve, as we all desire for an understanding, a peaceful mind amidst the chaos of life.

Allow me to present a new lens, a new perspective in our quest for the “examined life”. In my view, maturity is a state of understanding that manifests itself in responsibility, and calculation of action. But how do we reach this threshold? When we cannot understand all the motivations of those around us, cannot find confidence in the meaning of the world around us, we are faced with the reality of living confidently amongst the unknown. But within the unknown is where we find our real world epiphany… faith. Finding a headstrong belief in the value of our existence outside of what we cannot control is the key to our coming of age, humanity requires this epiphany of unknown to progress, to find the meaning in examining life and the thoughts behind it, to accept circumstance, but not relate our own value to them. The way we approach life is defined by what we believe, and what we have to trust. It does not take an elevated level of wisdom to see the failures that result from trusting in our circumstances and in what we cannot control in this world. The trust needed to find confidence in the unknown can only be found outside of what we can fully grasp, the trust required is that of divine nature, one that can defy natural laws of survival and motivate people to live beyond rational possibility or circumstance. 

Through my own personal reflection on what it means to come of age, and to understand life beyond its physical means has led me to this “epiphany” of faith, nothing else can provide confidence and trust in a chaotic world. A growth in understanding of faith is my ‘coming of age’ story, the realization of my “why”, what’s yours?