READERS on Writers

I READ

Movements, like individuals, can have their maturity measured by the nature of their questions and accusations. Through recent essays in homophile magazines (I refer particularly to Robert Gregory's ONE editorial of February, 1966), I have become encouraged that the homophile movement is beginning to grow out of its infancy and childhood and into adoles-

cense.

are:

2. Childhood is a time when the individual or movement is painfully aware of its wants and needs and blind to those of others, and, often, blind to the facts of reality. By slow realization of what it can possess and how it can acquire it, the being learns repect and justice. Childhood is a time of finding one's values and developing the need for the liberty needed to achieve them. Childhood demands attention, many

The steps to maturity, as I see them, times without regard as to how it is

1. Infancy, during which the movement or individual is somewhat not aware of itself as a whole, and can be said to be nonexistent. The abstract thinking that is necessary for an infant to realize that he is as much an existing reality as are the things he wants is not in his possession. Similarly, one idea or desire, isolated from all knowledge of others of the same nature, will probably not be recognized and, if it is, will not be propagated. This is the influence that writing and the electronical mass-communications systems have had on our lives and our society: we can know the ideas of others, select people without meeting them personally. It is interesting to note, though it is not in keeping with the purpose of the article, that this select communication is so great a part of making ours a turbulent society. By providing communication it insures quick maturity of a movement and by providing selectivity, it insures a lack of understanding between members of different movements. At any rate, infancy provides no accusations or questions. Only basic demands.

achieved, and accuses others for its shortcomings.

3. Adolescence. During adolescence the being becomes absorbed by selfdoubt and need of understanding. This is the time during which the individual or movement begins to consider issues from both sides, adjusting themselves to the facts rather than the facts to their wants. Unfortunately, many people and movements today never have to tackle adolescence as the affluent society fills so well their needs while children. Adolescence asks its own worth and that of its goals.

4. Maturity is the time when one learns to cope with the world as it is, serving his own interests while not interfering with others' rights to serve their interests. Maturity asks nothing that it doesn't deserve and accuses nothing for its failures. It accepts the responsibility of its successes and its failures.

5. Old age depends upon one's success in the other steps of maturity. To those persons and movements that realize maturity, as most do, old age is a time of healthy remembrance and continued productivity, inspired by the

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