Jaime Vicente C.

Alonzo

PSYDEVE A53

Development used to be some sort of buzzword that I said whenever I found out

something about myself that I was able to fix, correct, or experience. In a strange sense, I found

that development was inevitable, something that would happen to everyone at the same

rate—never caring about the nuances that underpinned it at every stage.

Looking back, I was shocked at how development was such an important series of events,

with every stage being just as important as the next. The naive image of development after

discovering the effects of the environment, society, and our own families in our growth. It’s so

profound to know that the way we develop is characterized by many things, from learning to talk

and interact to discovering these changes ourselves. As an emerging adult, I used to grapple with

the idea that, at one point, I used to be a different person living in an other body with a different

process of mind. Now I realize I never was an other person—I never will be—I just grow, learn,

and develop as I age.

Learning about how I age has allowed me to change my path, focusing less on achieving

everything I want and instead on making myself content and happy. There’s a saying that ‘I am

the oldest I’ve ever been, and the youngest I will ever be,’ which, in the context of what I’ve

learned, is an excellent motto to live by. Growing old doesn’t have to be ugly; it can be beautiful

because time stops for no one. One way to achieve this goal is to set my own priorities: putting

what’s most important first before all else.

Lifespan Development is one of the subjects that, although challenging, leaves a lasting

impression on my memory, despite how terrible it is. If there’s anything I’d like to do, it’s to be

able to use this knowledge to better myself in the years and lifetimes to come.