Adị m afọ iri ise na abụọ ma etolitebeghị m

Mgbe m na-achọ ịghọ afọ 52, achọpụtara m na mberede: Ọ na-adị m ka m nagidebeghị ọrụ nke ịghọ dimkpa. Kedu ihe ọ dị ka ịbụ okenye? Otu omume na omume ụfọdụ? Onye ọ bụla nwere ike ịmepụta ndepụta nke ya. Ma eleghị anya ị na-echekwa na ị gaghị emeli ya.

Anọghị m naanị m na nke a. Amaara m ọtụtụ ndị nọ n’afọ ndụ nile, ndị ọgbọ m na ndị na-eto eto, bụ́ ndị na-ahụ onwe ha dị ka ndị dara ada n’ihi na ha etobeghị.

Ọ dị m ka m etobeghị, mana nke ahụ ọ pụtara na emebeghị m ọrụ nke itolite? Abụ m onye edemede, a na m ebi n'ụlọ nke m, enwere m ụgbọ ala nke m, alụọla m. Ọ bụrụ na ị na-edepụta ihe niile kwesịrị inwe na ihe ị ga-eme dị ka okenye, m ezi akwụkwọ ozi ya. Ọfọn, ihe m na-adịghị eme abụghị iwu. Ma ọ na-adị m ka ọdịda… n'ihi gịnị?

My ideas about adulthood were formed in childhood based on observations of parents who turned 18 in the late 1930s and early 1940s. And they followed the model of growing up of their parents, my grandparents — three of them I no longer found alive. Those, in turn, came of age on the eve of the First World War or during it.

Mgbe m bụ nwata, amụtara m ihe nlereanya nke omume okenye nke ndị ntorobịa nke oge a maara nke ọma site na fim ochie. Ndị ikom ahụ na-eyikarị uwe na okpu na-aga ọrụ. Ụmụ nwanyị na-eyi naanị uwe, na-anọ n'ụlọ ma na-azụ ụmụ. Ọganihu ihe onwunwe pụtara inwe ụgbọ ala na ikekwe TV na-acha oji na nke na-ehicha ihe - n'agbanyeghị na ọ fọrọ nke nta ka ọ bụrụ ihe okomoko na 1950. Njem ụgbọ elu ka dị egwu mgbe ahụ.

Ndị okenye na-aga chọọchị (n'ime ezinụlọ anyị, n'ụlọ nzukọ), ọha mmadụ na-adị n'otu na enweghị ndidi. N'ihi na anaghị m eyi suit na tie, anaghị m aṅụ sịga, anaghị m ebi n'ezinụlọ m n'ụlọ nke m n'èzí obodo, ọ dị m ka nwa nwoke toro eto nke na-enweghị ike ịghọ okenye. iji nweta ihe niile okenye kwesiri ime.

Ikekwe nke a bụ ihe efu: ọ dịghị ndị okenye dị otú ahụ n'eziokwu, ma e wezụga ndị ọgaranya, bụ ndị jere ozi dị ka ihe nlereanya maka ndị ọzọ. Ọ bụ naanị na onyinyo nke onye na-eme nke ọma n'etiti aghọọla ụkpụrụ omenala. Otú ọ dị, ndị na-enweghị nchebe, ndị na-atụ egwu na-agbalị ime ka ha kwenye na ha bụ ndị toworo eto, na-agbalịkwa ime ihe ọ bụla ndị ọzọ chere na ha ga-atụ anya ya.

The urban suburbanites of the 50s also inherited the notion of adult behavior from their parents. Maybe they, too, considered themselves failures who failed to grow up. And perhaps the previous generations felt the same way. Maybe the conformist parents of the 1920s also failed to become «real» fathers of families in the Victorian spirit? They probably took it as a defeat not being able to hire a cook, maid or butler.

Here rich people are all right: they can afford everything they want — both the servants and the education of their children. The popularity of Downton Abbey is understandable: it tells about the life of the rich, who can fulfill their every whim, live the way they want.

N'ụzọ dị iche, ndị nkịtị na-agbalị ịrapagidesi ike n'iberibe nke ụdị omenala oge ochie bụ́ ndị agafeela. Ya mere, ọ bụrụ na ugbu a ị na-achọsi ike ịrụ ọrụ na laptọọpụ, ọ bụrụ na ị naghị eyi uwe, ma hoodies na joggers, ọ bụrụ na ị na-anakọta ụdị nke oghere, zuru ike, ị bụghị onye na-efunahụ. Ọgbọ na-agbanwe, omenala na-agbanwe, ị na-eme ihe niile nke ọma ma ọ bụrụ na ị naghị ejide n'oge gara aga.

Dị ka Terry Pratchett kwuru, n'ime nwoke ọ bụla dị afọ 80 bi otu nwata nwoke dị afọ asatọ nwere mgbagwoju anya nke na-aghọtaghị ihe hell na-eme ya ugbu a. Makụrụ nwatakịrị a dị afọ asatọ gwa ya na ọ na-eme ihe niile.

Banyere onye edemede: Charles David George Strauss bụ onye ode akwụkwọ akụkọ sayensị Britain na onye mmeri nke onyinye Hugo, Locus, Skylark na Sidewise.