I Just A Bebe - BLOG 1 WEEK 1 - 1/14/26 - Ranvir Thapar
“Age is just a number,” a phrase repeated constantly to me throughout my early childhood as a way to motivate young Ranvir Thapar of Fremont, California to try new things without the worry of failing because of his young age at the time. However, what was supposed to be my evolution and growth over the years as I grew in age ended up in a pattern of regression. Of course I still grew physically and yeah I guess mentally I have grown, but a part of me yearns to be young again.
“But why Ranvir?” you ask. This is a good question and while there are multiple reasons such as the lack of responsibility, the carefree lives the youth lead, or the ignorance they constantly feign, right now as of this moment it's because people call me old.
I am 17 years of age, just a measly 17 short years on this planet and my friends have the audacity to call me old, ancient, and aged!?! But no! I refuse to get ragebaited I will NOT be ragebaited anymore so my response to them “I just a bebe ☹️.” What I didn’t realize when I first began spamming that response was how powerful that statement was (yes emoji included in real life I turn on my frowny face).
Babies.
Babies are some of the most powerful creatures on the planet. They hold immense control over the people around them, parents' lives and schedules revolve around them, noise, volume, entertainment, and food are catered to their every need. They literally have everything (barring any special circumstances), but I think in retrospect, that teaches all of humanity a very valuable lesson: you can’t live your entire life like that. Maturity, growth, and independence are all tools we learn as we outgrow our “bebeness” (yes I say bebe and not baby because it sounds cooler).
However, there is a point where we realize being a bebe is not as cracked up as it seems to be and there are a few living examples of this today.
Donald Trump.
Donald Trump (this may be just a tad bit politically biased) but he is a living embodiment of not growing up, I seriously think that he regressed in every aspect of his character and personality. I’m about to run out of words for this blog, but what he’s doing with Greenland, what he did in Venezuela, waving the smoking gun of US military might and meddling in foreign affairs he has no business interfering in exhibits his lack of maturity and his “baby persona” (he does not deserve to be referred to as a baby).
There is a point to all this I promise. This was a blog of self reflection because as many times as I spam “I just a bebe” to my friends, that’s just an attempt at a humorous defense against the unfortunate reality of aging, but I remain fully cognisant of what happens when one doesn’t grow up and honestly the alternative is much better; the next time you see me, just remember, “He just a bebe” 😝🤗😁.
Son😭😭😭😭😭 I'm crine 😭😭😭😭😭 As a ragebaiter myself, I enjoy weaponizing age differences to tell my friends they’re not cute anymore. Yet, despite the immense jubilation I receive by tormenting my companions, joking around with my senior friends that they’re “unc-status” only reminds me that the gap of mere months means they’ll be moving on in life a year early, leaving the rest of us back at this purgatory called American High School. Becoming an adult in T-minus 500 something days does not sound delightful, but there are joys and wonders to be experienced once the mind has ripened and free will over financial assets is achieved. Ignorance is bliss, but there isn’t much to enjoy when entrapped in a bubble, only experiencing reality through a filter as parents try to protect their children from the world’s dubious events.
ReplyDeleteIt’s surprisingly common for immaturity to be used as an excuse to defend children who commit egregious acts such as being insensitive or even harassing others. But is there anything that can be used to defend a 79 year old man with plenty of life experience? It’s not like he needs any defense or justification to do what he wants…. If you gave a baby a million dollars, they’d spend it on their heart’s desires. Give a baby at heart the power of the executive branch and they might as well do the same, only this time their desires may cause global destruction and make the most gorgeous country in the world (Denmark) our opps. The chronic illness of “bebe” plagues far too many people in the world, and without people realizing the consequences of their actions, there seems to be no cure.
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ReplyDeleteHi, Ranvir. To be honest, I wasn’t sure which direction this blog was going to go when you started with “Age is just a number.” I liked your analogy about Trump being a baby, and I think he’s picking out countries to “take over” just how babies demand a lot of things and throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. Going back to your reflections on aging, I can relate to your fears about getting older, but you’re just a baby!! 17 is such an exploratory age. I feel like we still have our entire lives ahead of us. Even though I constantly hear adults say that this is the time we can make mistakes (here and there),I don’t know if that’s very true. However, the same definitely can’t be said for the President of the United States of America. At that age and position in their career, maybe one should have some more professionalism and decorum. I often find myself thinking about the differences between the current and prior presidents. While some may get into scandals for simply wearing a tan suit, others may get away with being convicted felons. But that’s okay, long live King Trump ❤️.
ReplyDeleteHi Ranvir! I thought your blog was hilariously insightful this week. I am also guilty of age regression when I want to piss my sister off. Funnily enough, she does the same exact thing to me. But no, it’s not funny when she does it because she is a twenty-three-year-old woman. In turn, I make “unc” jokes to further anger her.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to aging, I somewhat share your sentiment. I wish to revert to times when I didn’t have to worry about classes, college applications, and just the future in general. But there is something so enticing about what the future holds. In two years, we will all be living new and exciting lives as adults! We will be allowed to go where we want and learn more about who we are! Isn’t it exciting to learn more about ourselves and the world around us?
When you compared Trump to a meddling, fussy baby, I couldn’t help but laugh. It’s a great comparison! His ignorance and stubbornness are the first two things that come to mind when you brought this up. I mean, he believes that Somalians are running a scam ring in Minnesota because of a YouTube video! That is something straight out of one of those graphic novels we used to read in elementary school, and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry from this comparison. Another thing that is more on the lighter side of things is that–like a baby– White House Staff had to sneak veggies into his food to try and up his intake and improve his diet. That is literally what parents have to do to prevent their toddler from fussing about the broccoli on their plate.
Hello Ranvir! I love how simple and straightforward you express your thoughts on this blog, it’s such a refreshing experience compared to the formal writing we read so much. I resonate with your desire to just return to being a baby, where there were fewer responsibilities. Sometimes, I just want to drop everything, and act stupid once again, and I certainly do that occasionally. I feel that in this information-loaded world, the best way to de-stress is to just simply goof around. I love goofing around, because everyone has been there once before, and goofing around is understood by everyone.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I certainly agree with you that physical age does not equate to mental age, and some people have yet to grow out of their “bebeness.” These kinds of people are everywhere, and it just seems like they can’t be reasoned with. It’s just so infuriating dealing with these “grown-babies,” and sometimes I wonder how they even made it in the world in the first place. Perhaps there is a benefit of maturing after all these new responsibilities get piled onto us, after all.