"The Garden of Eden"

     I imagine “Who are you?” and “Where did the world come from?” are two of the most asked questions throughout our society. These are also two questions that don’t hold a lot of importance to teenagers. For the most part, teenagers are still trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. Even a lot of adults aren’t really sure who they are and if they are the person they really want to be. Likewise, no one really knows the origin of the world because its more of a personal belief than a proven fact. 

      When faced with the question, “Who are you?”, most people would respond with their name, age, and occupation. Some might relay a segment of their family history or where they are from. In that case, I am Jessica Robinson, I’m 16 years old, and I work as a crew member at Culver’s. I am the daughter of Wes Robinson, sister to Erin Robinson, and granddaughter of Lillian Robinson. I have lived in New Mexico, Arizona, and Indiana. Although all these things are true, they do not define who I am. A person is not their name, age, occupation, or family. In the novel, Sophie struggles with the idea that if she had been named Anne or Lillemor instead of Sophie, she might be a different person, but I don’t think that is true. I have met many people with the same name as me, and we are all different. I have also met people who have changed their name, but it didn’t change who they were. Your name doesn’t define you and neither does your job. Your job is what you do, but you are not what you do. You are your goals, dreams, and values. My main goal is to become a guidance counselor. This is part of who I am, not only because of what I want to become, but the reasons behind it. Part of who I am came from my experiences, which have made me want to use the life I was given to help people. Values are the things in your life that you find important. I value honesty, forgiveness, and keeping your promises. That is a big part of who I am. 

      As for where the world came from, there are many different theories. Some people believe in the Big Bang theory which basically means the universe started as nothing which then exploded, creating everything that makes up the universe now. Personally, I do not believe the Big Bang theory. I do believe, however, that God created the universe but, like Sophie in this novel, I have also thought about where God came from because everything has to come from something. I believe that God has always existed, although not in the same way that we exist. God exists more in the way that love does; everywhere all at once, but nowhere in particular.