Maturity.

Welcome to another post of the Friday Loose Bloggers’ Consortium when eleven of us post on the same topic chosen by one of us. Today’s topic has been chosen by me.

Please do visit Ashok, Conrad, Grannymar, Magpie11, Maria, Gaelikaa, Helen, Judy, Anu and Ginger to see ten other views on the same topic. Some of these bloggers may be preoccupied with vacations, examinations, family problems and/or romance, so be a little indulgent in case they do not post or post late.

I chose this topic for our LCB for the reason that, I was recently accused of being immature. The reason for this I think is the inability of the accuser to appreciate humour.

Let me give you the background. A newly made friend, who has never been to my home, decided to pay a surprise visit. When the door-bell rang, I was quite surprised to see him and expressed as much. He was stunned and the following conversation took place.

Guest: What? You are surprised? How can that be? I just now spoke to you on the phone to ask you directions to reach your place.

I: Ah, you must have spoken to my son Ranjan.

Guest: But he answered as Rajgopaul when he picked up the phone!

I: But he is a Rajgopaul.

Guest: But he sounded just like you.

I: Thank God that he does and not like our milkman.

Guest: (Taken aback) That is not funny.

I: Why? I think that it is very clever.

Guest: It is so immature to joke about paternity. You are casting aspersions on your wife.

I: Thank God, she is no more here to take offense.

Guest: That is another immature statement.

I gave up. Invited him inside, introduced him to my son and tried to make some conversation, but failed. He was decidedly uncomfortable. Perhaps he thought that I was a bit cracked and decided that I was not quite his cup of tea and scooted before I could offend his sensibilities any further.

I ask you, my readers, whether I was immature or humourous.

To write this post I googled for a definition of “Maturity” and I request that you do too. There are as many definitions as the people who define it. So, I think that I should stick with what has served me well over the last few decades. A definition that I picked up so many years ago, that I have forgotten where or from whom I did.

“Maturity is being able to act courageously but tempering the action with concern”

If I use that definition to analyze the transaction that took place between me and my friend, perhaps I was immature. I did not show concern for his lacking a sense of humour. Perhaps I should have waited to get to know him better before I let off my brand of humour on him.

What do I think? Just take a look:

What do you think?