Day Fourteen: Who the Hell Do You Think You Are . . . and Who Will You Be Tomorrow?

A beloved professor and I have become somewhat of pen pals this last year and recently he reminded me of some opinions I once espoused in class, which in turn reminded him of some opinions of his own from long ago and round and round it went. Thinking back to all the opinions I vehemently, and usually quite loudly supported, I wonder how many of them I would still believe today.

We all change as we age, but do our core beliefs or opinions? Should they even? If at twenty-something I thought it was inexcusable for a woman to abandon her child to save herself, then why at thirty-something do I have empathy for her? Some things evolve maybe with life wisdom, while others seem intrinsically bound to our innate identities. It is the same way with people I think. I was drawn to this professor right from the first. I liked his choice of books, and as it was an English Lit class that was the big draw initially, but there was more. Some people just stick with you, while others are . . . disposable? Forgettable?

I feel like I have not really changed all that much in my life. There's a Wallflowers line, "I haven't changed, but I know I'm not the same" and it sums me up perfectly. Of course there is a difference in all of us, we learn, we age, we experience and yet some things about who we are never change. I like what I like. True, there was a time I hated even the smell of broccoli, but those are the meaningless differences. Other things, like who we are drawn to or repelled by, ethical beliefs, preferences for literature, art, science, they might be more inherent and not so easily changed.

I suppose in some ways we are who we are and in others we blow with the wind. I frequently contradict myself numerous times in one day. So who knows, maybe at forty-something I'll be appalled at the abandonment of a child again. Even so, something tells me that I'll still be smitten with that college professor and I'm happy about that. Turns out, I have good taste in people while the rest of it . . . well, we'll see in time.