Turn and Face the Strange--Week 1 David Polanski

   
     "Lifespan development refers to an examination of the biological, cognitive/psychological, and                            social changes that occur over the course of a human life."- Fiore, 2011

     There is an old saying that the only guarantee in life is that you are going to die. This goes without saying but we also will all develop to some extent. We develop at every moment in our lives to some degree. Developmental levels vary for everyone and can include an array of changes. To gain more insight on the process let us break down the term. Fiore defines lifespan psychology as the study of human development from conception to death and development as the process of changing and the change that occurs through the lifespan.

    I am 28 years old. A few weeks ago I was thinking about when I was 18 and came to the realization I have become almost everything I have once stood against. They say wisdom comes with age but wisdom should be sought after. I feel I have been experiencing a great amount of change within the past year than I have in the past ten. As a kid, I thought when you became an adult you were set. I thought adulthood was this magical place where I was in charge of everything and would have all the answers, and even if I did not I would not have to answer to anyone. To my surprise, I was entirely wrong. George Vaillant (2002) describes this by stating, "Adult development is neither a footrace nor a moral imperative. It is a road map to help us make sense of where we and where our neighbors might be located." I feel this quote possesses a lot of power and makes a valid point.

     I spent a great portion of time in high school involved in wrestling and boxing; after graduation I got involved with power lifting. All of these activities put a huge emphasis on diet and exercise. I always recalled remembering the importance of protein. My diet for years consisted of whole milk, raw eggs, beef, chicken, protein shakes, and turkey. Last year I faced my biggest development ever; I went vegan. I used to ridicule and mock vegans in my earlier years. I would call them hippies, tree huggers, you name it I said. Last June, I was killing time on YouTube and came across some videos about what goes down in slaughterhouses. Anyway I looked, there was no way I could support an industry that abuses, tortures, and rapes animals the way that factory farming does. The more I researched, I came across more studies how animal products are the leading cause of death in the world. About 610,000 deaths in the United States alone are due to heart disease. It is hard to argue facts and just found myself backed into a corner with no answer to continue to eat meat other than my own selfish reasons. It just made sense of what I needed to do and where I needed to go. The older I get the more I realize things we are told are not always what is right. I would argue until I was blue in the face that meat is healthy for us just as I thought that Columbus was a solid guy. Seeking truth is essential for certain kinds of development because it leaves us with nothing that is sugar coated. The hard part about truth is that it is not always easy to swallow but from time to time we have to accept it in order to grow.