In that context, maturity is represented by the ability to function independently - and healthily so.
Our time as children is marked by our dependence on our parents: our time as adults marked by the lack of that - but it must be so in a healthy way.
Someone who can only function emotionally by propping themselves up on others, is not healthily independent. Someone who can only arrange things by whining or blackmailing others into helping them, is not functioning with healthy independence.
On the other hand, someone who is stubbornly independent to a fault (like me, some would say :) ), would also have trouble, perhaps, claiming to be healthily independent.
This definition of maturity is NOT related to chronological age. Some people in their 80s would count as immature under this definition, and some young people in their teens may count as mature, or mature in some aspects. I personally do not count an individual as physically mature unless they have moved out from the parent's/carer's house/home - or an institution, if they have been raised in an orphanage - and are financially supporting themselves. Someone who does have to work for a living may not meet my definition of maturity.
Spiritually, someone who is dependent on a religion or a priest or someone else is someone who is possibly not functioning independently, and thus may be immature.
There is a further subset of this topic, or perhaps it is a related topic, one that many people conflate with maturity: the topic of Old or Young Souls - or as I term them, Mature or Immature Souls.
My definition of a Mature Soul / Old Soul is one who is spiritually and generally mature, according to this definition, and ALSO living - or attempting to live, to the best of their ability - with the principles of Balanced Positivity, which is, according to according to my interpretation of Brendan Myers’ course “Clear and Present Thinking”, a form of Virtue Theory (Wikipedia discusses this as “Virtue Ethics” – and it is actually worth reading that link, particularly for the criticisms … well, it was worth reading it as of 25th October, 2014). The course describes this along the lines of:
All of which goes back to the work of Plato and Aristotle, who, interestingly, are discussed in Chapters 11 and 13 of Mr Myers’ book on pagan philosophers: “The Earth, The Gods and The Soul” (which I bought and read as part of my preparation for my interview on “Harmony in Diversity” - see here and here; Pub. Moon Books, 2013, ISBN 978-1-78099-317-1).A vice, according to this doctrine, is a case of manifesting too much or too little of the particular quality that a situation calls for; And a virtue is the ‘right amount’ of the quality which the situation calls for; Courage, for example, goes between rashness or recklessness (which is too much courage), and cowardice (which is too little.)
A Mature Soul / Old Soul behaves - particularly spiritually - appropriately, in a way that is balanced, and fundamentally (or overall) constructive.
An Immature Soul / Young Soul behaves in ways that cause real - not perceived: no grumbling about alleged problems such as rudeness etc - problems for others, or themself.
As with the topic of maturity generally, this has nothing to do with chronological age.
I have touched on this topic in many posts, most of which have been summarised in a particular section of the "key posts" section of my blogiography, which is copied below (as it was at the date this definition was first written):
Balanced Positivity, Spiritual
Maturity, Peace and Personal Conduct
222.
Personal Responsibility (this post is - effectively - the start of
my Balanced Positivity theme); 061. Maturity; 227. Old vs. Mature; 062. Perspective; 115. “Briefing for the Landing on Planet
Earth" and "Aliens Among Us": a Personal View; 196.
The Only Planet of Choice, Star Wars and Kung Fu; 132. Ethics; 150. A Word Both Over-Used and Under-Used:
Sorry; 153.
Honour, mistakes, and forgiveness; 184.
Meditation and the Purpose of Evolution;
205. Taking Action or Not, Plus Vengeance
and Other Thinking; 149.
Updates: Healing, World Peace, Vegan Witches, Crop Circles and Memory; 168.
A Miscellany on Leadership, Growth Orientation, Charmaine Wilson, Acne and
Security Theatre ... ; 213.
A Sunnudagr (Sunday) Miscellany; 216. Virtues and Faults: a Matter of
Octave? And Dreams vs. Responsibility ...; 248.
Want to be a Knight in Shining Armour?;
270.
Sugar'n'spice and hero/warrior stereotypes/archetypes; 279.
The theme of the coming world religion/leader; 288. The ancient Spartans were NOT
honourable; 289. Deity; 291.
When you die, how do you want to live in the astral?; 325. Terminology; 330.
Reflections, reading and how NOT to do a "rescue"; 335. Helping those who are disturbed; 347. Maturity: a refinement; 364.
The Origin of Evil; 368A.
This week's speculation, reading and other stuff; 380. Naiveté (inappropriateness); 391.
Lessons from the world of ... money; 393.
More Sunday thoughts ...;
396. Negative learning and Mediocrity; 400.
Balanced positive; 421. Can one be too positive?; 440. The Magical Battle of Melbourne, Australia
and Humanity; 469. A public talk on "Power"; 471.
Update and public talk on "the means shapes the end"; 500. Perspectives; 505. Lessons from the past: the film
"Kamchatka"; 509. For tonight's meditation: people change; 511. Failure to take action; 513.
I am a walker upon the Path of Balanced Positivity, seeking Spiritual
Maturity; 519. Why I never claim to like all children, or
(blindly) love all humanity; 523. Some more thoughts on Balanced Positivity; Post No. 542 - the Strength Required of a
Servant of the Goddesses/Gods/Light;
Post
No. 546: Some more thoughts on Balanced Positivity; Post
No. 568 - Who will step up?; Post No. 571 - Changing the personality of oppressors; Post No. 573 - Post Script to "who will step up?"; Post No. 576 – Activism; Post No. 605 –Balanced Positivity (The History of), Bow Exercise and Reading;
and also
Post No. 620 - Magickal maturity;
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