My answers...

I have a group of seniors reading a delightful little book titled Sophie's World.  (Whether or not my students would use the adjective "delightful" in their descriptions is questionable, I suppose.) Within its opening pages, the young protagonist is presented with four questions that deluge her curious, spongy mind :

"Who are you?"

"What makes us human?"

"Where does the world come from?"

"Do you believe in fate?"

And then Sophie's journey into the history of philosophy begins.  Naturally, I ask my students to consider their responses to these questions.  Naturally, I share with them my own.  Today seemed like as good of a day as any (even though it is not Tuesday anymore) to share my answers here.  

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I am Rebecca Marie Mashino and I like to consider myself a multifaceted person who is a reader, a writer, a thinker, and an athlete. I strive to be optimistic in all endeavors and do my best to encourage others to join me in this celebration of what makes life miraculous. More importantly and more to the fabric of my being, I am also a mother, a daughter, a sister, a girlfriend, a teacher, and a friend. These threads define me in deep and indelible ways and each is inextricably woven through the other. I am in a continuous battle of sorts in establishing an effective, healthy, and harmonious balance among each. I seek comfort in the quilt of my life and seek to provide comfort to others. It can be exhausting and frustrating, but ultimately rewarding when the balance is as it should be. As I progress through life – um, age, I guess I really mean - I think I am becoming a more proficient seamstress.

A human being, if he chooses to, has the ability to think outside of himself. He can ask questions without answers; he can consider an endless and fascinating list of possibilities. He can understand that actions have "equal and opposite reactions" that may be beyond his control, but that his place in the chaos has purpose. He can see that the universe is infinitively larger, more intricate, and much more significant than he will ever be. But, he can also find infectious joy and placid satisfaction in his place in the vastness of the unknown while continuously seeking grander and more profound understandings to share with others.

Because I am a human being, I do - quite often if I'm being honest - contemplate where it all began. The answer to such a question is more of a quest than an absolute destination. I will say that I am a woman of science and history and that I am fascinated by the plethora of the world's mythological explanations for what we cannot fully embrace with our minds. I think that ultimately, all of humanity arrives at nearly the same conclusions. The absolute destination seems of minor consequence when compared with what we discover about ourselves and each other as we experience the quest.

Fate. What an enigmatic concept, huh? The definition of Fate does not allow for any semblance of control or alterability. I cannot believe that humans - with all our astounding capacities for reason - are not in control of our own destinies. I do believe that we all are born with innate traits and talents, unique to each of us. Life becomes what we choose to make of those traits and talents. And then there are multiple other "factors" about life over which we may lack control…when we are born, where are born, to whom we are born. I used to muse that I was born in the wrong era... but that's another tale. My conclusion - for now - is that fate is a part of life, but we ultimately choose how we handle what is fated to us. Who is to say those choices do not slightly alter the path?

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Have you got it in you to pen an answer to these questions? My students will.  And by the way, thank you so very much to the student who left me the pretty, only initialed, sweet little reminder on my door yesterday to write.  You have no idea how deeply that touched me. I am carrying it with me now and will continue to do so.