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Adults Don't Calm Down — They Just Run Out of Energy

College students at an izakaya wonder if adulthood brings maturity. The 40-somethings at the next table are doing rock-paper-scissors for the last potato.

· 4 min · Togetter

What's going on

At a Japanese izakaya *(a casual pub where groups gather to drink and share plates of food)*, a group of college students was having a deeply serious conversation: "Do you think we'll actually settle down once we're adults?" The kind of question that feels urgent when you're young and believe the future might somehow transform you into a calmer, more dignified version of yourself.

Right next to them, a group of men in their forties was also engaged in something urgent: deciding, via rock-paper-scissors, who gets the last potato on the plate.

The person who witnessed this posted about it online, and the thread quickly became a warm confession booth — adults of all ages cheerfully reporting that no, they have not calmed down, and the data suggests they probably never will.

Comments

At an izakaya, the college kids at the next table were talking about whether they’d settle down once they grew up. Meanwhile, the group of 40-something guys right next to them was doing rock-paper-scissors for the last potato. Probably not.
Sorry, I’m 40 but I still do tequila shots and play yubi suma (a Japanese drinking game where players simultaneously extend fingers and take turns guessing the total count). It’s hopeless.
Back in the day there were actually mature older guys. Nowadays they’re all acting like elementary schoolers. That’s probably why middle-aged men stopped being attractive to younger people.
About 20 years ago, I watched two men in their 40s on the train, hanging from the straps, staring each other down in silence. Then after a few seconds, one of them suddenly yelled “JUBAAAAN!” and karate-chopped the other in the torso. The other one responded with a full “you got me” expression.
Sorry, I’m in my 30s but just yesterday I did thumb-wrestling with a friend over the last piece of karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Live report from the scene.
I’m one of those older guys myself, but I think being an adult just means looking mature on the outside while staying 20-something on the inside lol
Drunk office workers in groups are always as rowdy as students… (when you’re in line at a ramen place late at night, you sometimes run into packs of middle-aged guys fresh off a company drinking party, and they are exactly this)
And apparently right next to them, another group of 40-something men was fighting over whether to squeeze lemon on the last piece of karaage (squeezing lemon on shared karaage without permission is a notorious social flashpoint in Japan — the citrus changes the flavor for everyone at the table) (´・ω・｀) yeah, hopeless
So true. Look at women in their 60s — that girlish silliness from their younger years never quite goes away either.
Forever a little boy lol
People who can’t sit still will never sit still lol
I want to grow up to be exactly that kind of middle-aged guy
I’ll enjoy life over potatoes too. That uncle life ♪
40-something guys at an izakaya doing rock-paper-scissors over the last potato — that’s genuinely peak good energy.
There’s something genuinely wholesome about married men with kids acting like complete children
You don’t grow up. You just lose energy as you get older.
Being an adult isn’t something that happens naturally, you know. You’re just trying really hard to act like one.
Looking calm and mature as an adult just means you’ve run out of stamina for dumb stuff. In a burst, though, you can still go just as hard as ever.
It’s not that you calm down. You just run out of energy.
Seriously though, if you’re in your 40s just order more potatoes lol. Once you hit your 50s, more people can’t handle fried food anyway, so you’ll naturally get a bigger share.
Teen me: “I’ll calm down once I hit my 20s.” 20s me: “I’ll calm down once I hit my 30s.” 30s me: “I’ll calm down once I hit my 40s.” 40s me: “I still haven’t calmed down. It’s never happening.”

My take

I don't feel like I've changed even slightly since middle school — but I'm assuming that's just everyone. Probably. Hopefully.

Comments loosely translated for tone.

Source https://togetter.com/li/2697370