Things I learned as an adult, about the things I learned as a kid

I have recently found myself questioning some of the things that I have considered true, based on lessons and experiences of my childhood and adolescence. This got me to thinking about all the other beliefs I once held, and have chanced since I entered the adult world.

Childhood belief #1 - Cops are assholes.
Adult perspective – So are many firefighters, doctors, carpenters and beggars. A person’s vocation has nothing to do with their personality. While many people say that cops often act too aggressively, I ask, wouldn’t you? If every person I encountered in my daily life was a potential enemy, I would be a little aggressive also.

Childhood belief #2 - The rich are greedy.
Adult perspective- So are the poor! In fact, I say the poor are even greedier. Most wealth in this country is first generation, meaning the rich guy made his own money. No matter if they made their fortunes with an idea, a business, or a novel, they had to compete with other ideas, businesses, or novels. In order to make their fortunes, their money making vehicle had to serve an ever increasing pool of people, or they would stop making money.
The employees of these companies, on the other hand, often expect to see their salaries increase regularly, often for no increase in productivity! In other words, while the business owner must constantly find a way to serve more of his product to more people for a more competitive price, the employee asks for more money while the change in their productivity often goes unchanged. I’ll bet the business owner would like to increase his income without increasing his output! So who’s really the greedy one?
Childhood belief #3 - I’m basically an adult.
Adult perspective- This might have been the dumbest thing I ever said. Ever. At 16 or 17, I thought that having a job, paying some bills, and making some rudimentary decisions on my own somehow signified adulthood.
Marriage, fatherhood, car payments, career decisions and a mortgage have all served to open my eyes to the reality of adulthood. This status of maturity is not as simple the ability to perform some basic requirements. The weight of your decisions increases significantly when the consequences of your actions begin to affect not just you, but your family, home, and future. I read somewhere that in ancient Jewish cultures, a man could not be a judge until he fathered at least two children. This was because only in fatherhood and marriage could one gain the maturity, empathy and compassion necessary to judge other people.

Childhood belief #4 – My friends are my family.

Adult perspective- No, they’re not. While indeed, some friendships may last a lifetime and grow continuously richer and more fulfilling, this is the exception. For the most part, as you grow older, your friends will slowly fade away, being replaced by new relationships in the form of romantic interests, professional associations, and new friendships based upon things more relevant to your adult life. The simple fact is, people change. With that change in our personalities often comes a resistance to the changes in others’ lives and perceptions. Eventually this leads to a decline in the regularity of communication, which further widens the gap between what were once very close friendships. Often when this gap grows too wide, it will sever the relationship entirely.

Obviously, these views are mine, and they probably don’t apply to you’re life. I think we all undergo so many changes in the course of our lives that we are often different people from one phase of our lives to the next. What do you think?