To grow up or not to grow up

I still remember the scene when I did my first oral report in front of the class. It was more than five months ago, and all the strangers in class have already become friends since then.

The topic I chose in the first time of my oral report was Peter Pan. Though I have already watched the film and read the book for tens of times, I still think of this little boy all the time. As we all know, Peter Pan is different from others because he is the only one who will never grow up. As long as he stays in the wonderful island, Neverland, he will be a boy forever.

I guess that most people wish to grow up as fast as possible when they are young. At that time, adults have countless authorities in their eyes, such as staying up late at night and refuse to eat something they don’t like. After saying goodbye to their childhood and really become an adult, however, people will wish again that they could never grow up, for there are much more things that you have to do even if you are unwilling. Children think adults owns so much freedom while adults find the freest period is their childhood; this is why so many human never enjoy their life.

Well, what confuse me a lot are the reasons of the different choices that different characters make in the story of Peter Pan. Why does Wendy insist to leave Neverland, go back home and grow up? Why do others homeless boys choose to go with Wendy and grow up together? And why does Peter keep refusing to leave with Wendy and prefer never growing up? 

Suddenly I recall the famous poem, The Road Not Taken: “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both.” To grow up is one of the roads, and not to grow up is another one, even though it seems that we do not have the right to choose at all. We have to grow up.

Sometimes it is very sad to see a naïve kid becomes sophisticated, for he loses his courage to say no to unfairness and all he cares is his salary. Peter believes that he will be sent to school and then become a bank clerk if he grows up, so he choose to stay in the Neverland alone and never grow up. Our life cannot be so simple and predictable as Peter’s, but it will not be relaxing for sure. We will learn to take our responsibilities.

To grow up or not to grow up, this is a problem. As far as I am concerned, I hope I could be forever young, but I also know it is impossible. Maybe all I can do is trying hard to keep my childishness. I am proud of my childlike innocence, and I wish I could still say so after ten years.