Teenagers are rebellious and want to prove their independence. Humanity has been rebelling against nature for thousands of years, trying to prove that we are independent from it. Teenagers are reckless and tend to think they will live forever. The human family is acting recklessly in its rapid consumption of natural resources, behaving as if they would last forever. Teenagers are concerned with appearance and fitting in.
Humans have a tendency to express our identity and status through material possessions.
Teenagers are often looking for instant gratification . As a species, we are seeking our own pleasures and largely ignoring the needs of future generations. Recognizing that we are in our teenage years seems like good news. The human family seems to be working toward our early adulthood as a species. Although the outlines of our future maturity are still only dimly visible, it is clear that we are growing up, getting wiser, and working to create some form of planetary civilization.