Aaron Sheldon / Roundup
Most of us were probably counting the minutes as they slowly ticked by on the long and ever-so-slow march toward turning 18.
Hitting 18 struck a victory bell that rang loudly and clearly – you know, that kind of ring that renders nearby witnesses into a state of shock because it is just that epic.
Perhaps at that point, one would wonder about the next “big one” – 21.
Let’s take a harder look at 18, though; it really only seems to be Adulthood Part I.
Freshly 18, a citizen can cast a vote for the leader of our country, a figure that would define modern times and shape the future.
That citizen can’t drink alcohol yet, though. Thanks to the National Minimum Drinking Act of 1984, states were blackmailed into raising the legal drinking age to 21, or else they would lose highway funding provided by the Federal Highway Act.
They can certainly smoke cigarettes legally, though, as 18 is logically old enough to risk getting cancer and subjecting those in the area to the same risk.
Oh, sex is legal now, too.
Speaking of sex, a citizen can marry and start a family. They just can’t drink any of their wedding champagne.
No gambling, either. It’s small-time Texas Hold’em with gas money until 21, because legislature has displayed its paranoia that 18-year-olds will gamble away their futures and abilities to remain firm and consistent taxpayers.
At least an 18-year-old can go to war. He or she can begin training for what could be their death, or the salvation of those around them and the condemnation of those in front of them.
They are old enough to slay and be slain.
18 is a lot more confusing than I thought.
Aaron Sheldon ()
