Adulthood and self-regulation

I often hear people say that young people lack tenacity, resilience, and essentially, character.

But then I look around and see people who are severely overweight, adults who can’t take their eyes off their phones even when crossing the street, people who start honking for the slightest reason — and I could go on with other examples that reveal a world full of impatient individuals, always looking for something to complain about, and who generally show little self-control and little ability to regulate their behavior in public settings.

And so it occurs to me that maybe the problem isn’t with young people, but rather with adults — who lack the ability to respect themselves and others, and to serve as moral and educational role models.

These are topics that often come up in the media, but just standing on the street in an affluent neighborhood of Rome and observing these behaviors should make us reflect on how obvious the shortcomings of the adult world are, even in the most ordinary, everyday situations.