there's a voice inside my head wondering if I have the right to grieve for someone that I wasn't close to.
You have the right to grieve (or not) for whomever you feel the need.
And I wonder, is this what growing up means? Not just recognizing death as something that happens to living things, but acknowledging it as something that shapes the face of your world all the time, even when it happens to people whose lives don't intersect yours directly?
Yes. Not the only part of growing up, but a significant one.
I feel incredibly shallow and naive for just noticing this now
No reason you should, enlightenment isn't a race; it's a journey. Since we don't all start from the same place, we don't all get to a particular place at a particular point in our lives.
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You have the right to grieve (or not) for whomever you feel the need.
And I wonder, is this what growing up means? Not just recognizing death as something that happens to living things, but acknowledging it as something that shapes the face of your world all the time, even when it happens to people whose lives don't intersect yours directly?
Yes. Not the only part of growing up, but a significant one.
I feel incredibly shallow and naive for just noticing this now
No reason you should, enlightenment isn't a race; it's a journey. Since we don't all start from the same place, we don't all get to a particular place at a particular point in our lives.