Age-Limit Mysticism

Those who rely on age limits to determine the reality of a child's development are like the Popes and mystics of old who believed the earth was the center of creation. Mystics both ancient and modern ignore evidence to the contrary of their assumptions. In the modern world, the earth's revolution around the sun has nothing to do with whether a child can vote or give consent, nor does the mere act of "not dying" during one's first 18 of those revolutions, by itself, bestow these abilities on a young person. And yet, that is the definition and explanation we are dealt. That is how we divide and define human beings by our legal decree, still... in 21st century.

While the law of the land is defined by mysticism, the law of reality is defined by something a bit more practical. Human development, which is another way of saying human character, and the abilities it gives one, is a better predictor of whether a child or youth ought to be dignified with the rights of a human being than the earth's revolution. Unfortunately though, the science of human development has been ignored for the last 200 years concerning how to determine ability, and therefore eligibility for the rights of a natural-born citizen. It turns out that even science is not practical enough, because any system wishing to align eligibility for rights with individual ability, would somehow have to define and test everyone for normative developmental milestones specific to the innumerable variations in individuals. This would be too costly.

So mysticism is assumed to be the best alternative because science is too costly, but in reality--outside of the law and science--capitalism has already made the determination for us. Capitalism often redefines the so-called "fixed position" of things to suit its own agendas, so this is nothing new. It has drawn the line between adult and child along monetary lines. Money and resources mean more to making you human than your developmental position relative to normal adulthood. Take a 6 year old, give him a million dollars, and suddenly the adults care about his opinion, and even the law is willing to bend itself at times for such people. That is how arbitrary these definitions have become--how flimsy and shakable. It is only a matter of time before blind confidence in the "money mystics" is itself blown apart by simple thought.

“Children, who play life, habit everywhere, discern its true law and relations more clearly than with men, who fail to live it worthily, but who think they are wiser by experience, that is, by failure.”

--Henry David Thoreau