The Significance of 30

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 30 By Jon Skillman

Back in my pseudo-hippie days, there was an understanding that you couldn’t trust anyone over the age of thirty. People over thirty were considered “The Man,” man, and everybody knew, “The Man” ran “The System” and “The System,” made the rules and rules were a total downer. It was a time of upheaval fer sure.

I refer to myself as a pseudo-hippie because I had a full beard, long hair and said things like, peace man, totally and far out, while, at the same time being married, fully employed and not doing drugs. Anyway, my wife and I participated in an anti-war march and rang doorbells for the George McGovern campaign. Yeah I know…it was a long time ago, but we grew out of it. And that’s the gist of this article…the relationship between the age of 30 and change.

George Bernard Shaw said; “If at age 20 you are not a communist you have no heart. If at the age 30 you are not a capitalist, you have no brains.” Old George had some strange ideas but a pearl of truth gives his statement value. The Code of Jewish Law says, “As one young man leaves his twenties behind, idealism gives way to practicality.” The code also refers to the age of thirty as “The age of truth,” and declares a person of that age, “worthy of leadership.” Jesus began His earthly ministry at thirty. brain reached full development in the mid to late teens. But today, a consensus of neuroscientists agree that the brain doesn’t reach full development until the late twenties to early thirties. The Designer and Creator must have revealed this truth to the ancient Israelites and they were wise enough to apply it to their culture.

Thirty is the minimum age to serve in congress…yet congress appears to be an exception to 30 = reason equation. Some in congress are calling for the voting age to be lowered to sixteen… sixteen! Shoot, when I was sixteen you could buy my vote with the promise of a chocolate malt and a tank of gas that didn’t require a siphon hose.

And even in the face of mounting evidence of serious and sometimes irreparable neurological damage, especially in younger users, many lawmakers are advocating for the national legalization of marijuana. Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis, has seen a sharp rise in cases of paranoia and schizophrenia. So what are they thinking of doing? Legalizing hallucinogenic mushrooms BRILLIANT!

Evidently, following the money stunts brain development regardless of age.