Assignment 4- Anne Douglas

As you grow older, you start to actually think about the things you just always thought were undeniable truths. Santa Clause?? It baffles me that I blindly believed that a fat, old, magical man who lives in the North Pole with a new of worker elves flies around the entire world in one night to deliver children their Christmas presents. Though Santa was indeed a lie, it was an innocent lie that brought me, and many other children lots of joy. Some of the concepts I was taught to believe are less innocuous, and maturity has helped me formulate my own opinions.
Religion has been the main topic of my intellectual independence. Around age 13, I started to questioned the prophecies I grew up hearing. The way I started thinking about existence challenged the typical christian beliefs I thought I staunchly followed. My mind was entranced with questions: What do my parents really believe? If I were born in a different country, would I practice another religion? How does "loving thy neighbor" relate to all the hate within some religious communities? Who has the right answers?
My entire adolescent life I have been waiting for that one "Ah ha" moment where everything instantly makes sense. But, as a realist I know that that moment is probably never going to come. The best I can do is to keep questioning, talking to wise people with diverse beliefs, and learinng as much as I can about the way our world works.