Is there really something to celebrate on birthdays?

RainbowMau · September 13, 2014

You know, I love to receive presents, get greetings from my friends, my family, the people I care the most, sharing a beautiful day with my siginificant others... But is there really something to celebrate? Taking in count that:

- You're getting older and you can't do some things you loved to do anymore

- You probably passed the limit age to enter a group you always wanted to enter

- You start losing some of your physical habilities

- You get more restricted to laws

- You're not allowed to wear your favorite clothes anymore

- People see ridiculous if at your new age you still enjoy your favorite activities

- You start losing your fresh look

Am I forgetting something?

Edited September 13, 2014 by RainbowMau

Luna · September 13, 2014

Its also a time to celebrate that your alive another year.

September 13, 2014

youre not dead thats somthing to be happy about

Sir Hugsalot · September 13, 2014

- You're getting older and you can't do some things you loved to do anymore

And at the same time You can do other things which You were not able to do in the past, You are still alive and there are many more things to happen ahead of You. Hit and miss.

- You probably passed the limit age to enter a group you always wanted to enter

Um... sorry, but what? I belong to bronies, I have my own friends in internet and in real life, I am a metalhead (kinda, I don't dress like one and don't have long hair, but my heart has long hair so buck that xD). In other words - wrong.

- You start losing some of your physical habilities

I need to tell this to that 90 years old guy who is jogging every day on a street nearby, he for sure will agree. Age is not an excuse to stop doing certain things and only limited people treat it as such.

- You get more restricted to laws

Yes, You are, but before that parents pay responsibility to everything You do. So it's not like nobody suffers for Your mistake before it happens. And kids are restricted too. Even on this forum if You are under 13 years old You are not allowed to have account. In real life those restrictions can be noticed in shopping, not even being able to earn Your own money and relying on Your parents instead. You can't go to certain places, watch certain movies, play certain games, there are also physical restrictions when You are very young and fragile.

- You're not allowed to wear your favorite clothes anymore

I don't know where You got this idea, but I'll keep that in my head next time I put on my favourite leather jacket You can wear whatever You want and nobody has right to tell You that You can't wear that.

- People see ridiculous if at your new age you still enjoy your favorite activities

Then there are weird people around You, becase nobody around me sees my activities irl as "ridiculous". Besides why should You give a damn?

- You start losing your fresh look

Define "frest look".

Everleaf · September 13, 2014

You live another day

another chapter in life

to look forward to what is next...in life...

personally I still feel you should celebrate your birthday for the answers above soo...

Samurai Equine · September 13, 2014

What's the point of celebrating birthdays?

Well, if others are celebrating it with you, it means they love and/or care about you deeply.

They are glad you were born. They cherish your existence.

The celebration of your birthday is practically proof that the world is a happier, better place just because you exist in it.

Isn't that enough of a reason to celebrate?

M'aiq the Liar · September 13, 2014

Well, you aren't dead for one.

And people get to cherish your existence.

As for my birthday, it heralds the day the sexist man ever invented was born. Pretty important date, and certainly worth celebrating.

Malinter · September 13, 2014

Its a basic milestone in your life. Its optional whether you celebrate it or not.

GGG · September 13, 2014

yeah pretty much BS on half the things you listed.

You're getting older and you can't do some things you loved to do anymore

but you discover new things that you can do, plus most activites are ageless unless you care about what people say.

- You probably passed the limit age to enter a group you always wanted to enter

what group has young age limits? why do you care if they have them?

- You start losing some of your physical habilities

yeah if all you do is sit on the tv and watch garbage shows while you stuff your face with pepsi and coke, there is people who are 90 years old and can do as much as an average person can cause they excercise.

- You get more restricted to laws

ok i hate that one too

- You're not allowed to wear your favorite clothes anymore

yeah i dont know where you came up with this shit, if you are sad you cant wear the same clothes you whore when you were 9 years old then i cant help.

- People see ridiculous if at your new age you still enjoy your favorite activities

dont know where that came from neither so big BS

- You start losing your fresh look

what "fresh look"? sure your skin may be smoother if you dont relaly bother taking care of it, but most preteens look ugly, the older you get the more defined look you acquire.

Invincible · September 13, 2014

Meh, it's all the same to me.

Years ago, my mother went into labor trying to expel me from her womb. She succeeded. To me It, just means the earth has completed one more revolution around the sun. To others it means i'm supposed to be getting some sort of present. I usually ask people not to give me any gifts as it just reminds me that they've spent money hard worked for me, and it bothers me, but they seem shocked as if i denied some sort of an invitation to a feast from a king.

Clover Heart · September 13, 2014

- You're getting older and you can't do some things you loved to do anymore

And you get to do new things that you couldn't do before. Maybe when you're 10, you don't get to play in the ball pit anymore, but now you get to ride roller coasters.

- You probably passed the limit age to enter a group you always wanted to enter

And you can now enter a group that you were previously too young to enter. A bar or club or even a class.

- You start losing some of your physical habilities

Depends on how old you are. As you grow into adulthood, however, you mostly gain physical ability. And if you stay fit and make a point to exercise, you shouldn't have too much to worry about. My 60-year-old father is much stronger and more fit than my 30-year-old brother because my father exercises a ton and eats healthy.

- You get more restricted to laws

Yes and no. You might be punished more harshly for breaking the law when you're an adult than when you're a kid, but you get a lot more legal privileges when you get older. You can basically do whatever you want to your body, for better or worse, you can get married, you can work a real job, you can do a lot more as an adult, legally.

- You're not allowed to wear your favorite clothes anymore

Says who? I mean, if it doesn't fit, maybe you should refrain, but if you wanna wear tie-dyed shirts and jelly sandals, who's stopping you? Of course, you should probably dress appropriately for certain occasions, like work or a party or something, but if it's just every day wear, why limit yourself? I'm 26 and I wear baggy pants and colorful T-shirts with cartoon characters on them. I don't care.

- People see ridiculous if at your new age you still enjoy your favorite activities

That's their problem. It's stupid to have an impression of someone just based on the things that they like. You like what you like. That's your business, not theirs. And anyway, it doesn't even affect them. If someone thinks negatively because you like something, they're the ones who need to grow up, not you.

- You start losing your fresh look

I'm not sure what you mean by this, but I'm guessing it means that you start to look aged? And eventually, yes, you will age. But if you take care of your body and your skin, this shouldn't be a problem. Eat healthy. Exercise. Wash your face with nothing more than a basic cleanser. Don't smoke. Don't drink. If you do this, you'll look young even when you're old.

As far as something to celebrate, you sort of make that for yourself. Personally, I like having an excuse to just have a party and have fun. And that's another part of becoming an adult. When you're an adult, you get busy with things. You get wrapped up in things. You can forget to take time for yourself or to relax or to have fun. I think if you have a certain holiday to celebrate with other people, it almost pushes you to have fun. Which can be a good thing, moreso than a bad thing, I think. I think as adults, we need excuses to have fun, because otherwise, we might not even bother. Don't think of it so much as "getting older," but just as an excuse to have fun and spend time with people.

On mortality, there's a line from "Sheep Go to Heaven" by Cake that I like. "As soon as you're born you start dying, so you might as well have a good time." So from the second you're born, you're on the road to death. Every second of your life that passes is one second closer to your death, no matter when that might come. We're all gonna die one day. And yes, every sign you're older is a sign of how much closer you are to death, always reminding you that you're mortal. However, take the other half of that lyric and just have a good time with the time you do have. Our amount of time on this earth is finite and indefinite. Any one of us could die tomorrow. Rather than worrying so much about the inevitable, realizing that it is inevitable, why not just enjoy the time that you do have?

lelouch. · September 13, 2014

I dont celebrate my birthdays because i dont find it worth celebrating. But i do help my friends celebrate theirs because they find it worth the celebrations.

I would rather celebrate something that i won.

Dr. Frasier Crane · September 13, 2014

I'd say for the most part getting older opens up more possibilities rather than closing them. Every stage of life has their new experiences.

Growing older is inevitable and there's nothing we can do about it, so what's the point in viewing it negatively? Just make the most of it and look at the positives, because there's so many.

Starshine · September 13, 2014

It's something like an achievement of some sort. Hey, I had lived another year, and in that one year I've definitely experienced more, learned more, and hopefully grew wiser than what I was a year ago. There were good days, there were bad days, but dang I'd know that I would never trade those 365 days with anything. Think of it as a closure and a time to look back on what you have done, and the time to think where you should be going in this new year of your life.

That, and humans love to celebrate even the silliest of things

Shanks · September 13, 2014

Are you post anything, anything at all that dosen't amount to "gee it sucks to get older"? There are some things that suck about getting older I am not going to sugarcoat it, children are given so much understanding while adults are expected to be perfect at all times and are shown no mercy if they screw up in the slightest but there are some good things too. Getting older means new experiences and while they aren't all going to be good ones if you keep an open mind and try to be positive you will be able to see those things, enjoy them and try to make the best of the not so great experiences. There are things that aren't that great about younger either if you really think about it, as you get older you get the opportunity to make more decisions and opportunities to shape your life and future. So society dosen't like it when adults do certain "childish" things, why should any of us care what they think?

Dashie23 · September 13, 2014

I like my cakeday, and presents, but also, my birthday gives me a chance to see how well I've changed over the course of the year. I went from being utterly disorganized and average at school, to being well organized, becoming a brony, started watching Doctor Who and doing well at school. See? Much better.

BitterBubblegum · September 13, 2014

As long as I keep getting cake and presents I don't really care. :yay:

Scootaloo Is Best Filly · September 13, 2014

Well, I'm at the point that I am sorta the same way about my Birthday. I'm 31 going on 32 and to me it's just another year closer to turning the "Big 4-0" It kinda makes me feel really sad cause, it just reminds me how much I haven't accomplished. But, I am a very negative person who doesn't look on the bright side very often. But, I do like the cake and presents.

None · September 13, 2014

I must say, that's a very pessimistic way to look at things. In this case, you can only look at the cup half-full or half-empty.

Optimist see the doughnut, but pessimist see the hole.

Royal · September 13, 2014

the fact that you were alive another yer

Darker · September 13, 2014

I haven't seen what a present looks like since I was a kid. I don't celebrate birthdays anymore.

RainbowMau · September 13, 2014

Here's one I forgot:

- You look backwards and you notice there are things you haven't done and you realize it's too late to do them.