How Long It Takes To Be a Man?

I have been in this world for 21 years. Legally, I am a man fully responsible for my behaviors. But the number 21 does not make a person any near to a man, especially for our generation. Owing to our one child policy, any children in our generation are more or less spoiled by the elders, no matter are parents or grandparents. The consequence is that we are less mature than we should be. My parents always tell me story about how they started a living on themselves when they were at our age. Alone, off home and financially independent. This becomes unrealizable because of the extended education path--you will celebrate your 21th birthday in the school. We cannot become financially independent for the over-priced education, but this should not prevent us from being a man. Being a man means knowing what to do in the future, knowing what to make a living, and knowing how to treat people.

These things are not taught by our education. They are taught by experience and self-consciousness.
I feel myself left behind of the process of being mature comparing to my parent's generation. My mind is still wondering around in the blueprint of my future. I have an urgent notion that I have to like what I do, what I study. Mind is such powerful strength that it solely determines where I will be in the future. If I don't appreciate what I am doing, I will not have the will power to go further enough to achieve something that I could have achieved.

I have 2 full years left before college. So let me postpone the deadline of being a man to the age of 23. I think it is enough for me to be a true man. By that time, I will have finished the blueprint of my future and totally fall in love with it.

I wrote the last paragraph for you. Each individual is unique due to their own experience. Most of the geniuses just have the right environment to stimulate their intelligence. We already know how much potential within our brains, and the trigger is our mind which can bring those potential out.