If you think about it, about it, a little over a hundred years ago, the Western United States was pretty wild. 

Except for the Natives who lived there, the land was relatively untouched. When the United States bought the remainder of what is now the US, and everyone kind of wanted to know what we had purchased. Slowly over time, pioneers and settlers started moving West, beginning new homesteads and towns in this unexplored region. 

This brings about that idea of Children of the West. 

I have lived in California my whole life, and I feel this identifies with me. But I have family spread all across the country, so where do I actually belong?

Honestly, I don't think it actually matters. You can be a Child of the West if that's what's important to you. Our ancestors may or may not have been pioneers of the West. But this is where I (you) am now. 

So being a child of the West isn't based on facts, or where you were born, or even who your ancestors were. It's a personal identity, and you deciding where HOME is.

Has there been any moment in my life where you have felt grown up? That one day you become a woman, or a man.

That moment for me was one night, a few years ago. My brother was staying at a friend's house, and my parents were going to dinner. That evening, my mom told me to make sure to lock the house, feed the dogs, make dinner, and watch over my little sister. Because I were pretty young, that was the first night my parents had trusted us to stay home alone. Everything was going fine, until about an hour later when the power went out. My little sister was extremely frightened, but I remember lighting candles, bringing our dogs inside, and turning the television on, to help her feel more comfortable and safe. The power was still out for a while, but the as the TV blared, I remember feeling a sense of accomplished. My parents had trusted me, and I had kept their trust that night. That was one of the moments I grew up.

How would you want future generations to remember you?

I'd want to be remembered as someone who did something more than the average human. Do something great that extends farther out then myself. Be remembered for making a change. 

I don't what that goal involves yet, but I want to achieve something for future generations, and make a difference in the world.

What is IDENTITY? And how do I define myself?

SISTER: I have a younger sister and because I go through life with her, it has influenced me to look out at the world differently.

PERSISTENT: I never like giving up on anything. Never ever stop working, striving, pushing towards 100%.

VOLLEYBALL: I love athletics especially volleyball. It's just fun.

What if you have the power to make one revolutionary change to this world?

It would be difficult to choose a revolution, a global change, that would occur in my lifetime. I think that if I had the power to make a change, it would center around food. What I mean by this would be to have humanity connected to the process in which our food is produced. One hundred years ago, the food you find on your table would be the same food you cultivated and grew, or hunted and gathered. But now we select plastic packaged foods from supermarkets that all look "perfect." Every apple, strawberry, and banana all look the same. We talk about animal rights, when in reality we stuff antibiotics and corn down the throats of cattle, and slaughter them by the thousands. We cage livestock, we spray our tomatoes with chemicals, and a diversity in natural produce is looked upon in horror and thrown away. What if we could once again restate that connection from farm to table. Using natural cycles to grow our food, that doesn't pollute our Earth and put future generations at risk. If I had the chance to make one evolution on Earth, then it would be to save humanity from the ignorance in which our food appears in our supermarkets.

WHAT IS YOUR QUEST IN THIS LIFE?


People always wonder where their heading in life. They feel like they need a plan, a journey mapped out depicting their life. But living never walks in a straight line, the "journey" is one with infinite paths and routes to our goals. Not knowing what happens next is what makes this life interesting. Without that, where would we be?

Although I don't know where I'm headed, I do have an idea. I know that wherever I go, I will be somewhere I love. I know that I could only ever to do something I found to be important. I know that I will never be stuck behind a desk. I know that I will always strive to heal the conflicts that I despise the most. I believe that one of the most honorable positions one could hold would be one serving the future. Helping the next generation, striving for peace, and healing the Earth we call home. I realize that these goals seem unrealistic, but when people unite and strive for their goals, we can create miracles.

IKIK-topia

1. Scope: global utopia

2. Goals: to create an environmentally friendly, advanced society

3. Population: those concerned with humanity and the environment will be welcomed

4. Education: school will be free, everyone will have an advanced, thoughtful education

5. Religion: all beliefs are welcomed. As long as your faiths don't control your decisions, or cause you to impart harm in the name of god.

6. Architecture: the layout would be smart, and never cramped. Organized in such a way as to have large, free lands/reserves for the animals and creatures that we must respect. 

7. Politics/government: elected officials that can be replaced in hours (by the people) if disrespect their power. Democracy.

8: Entertainment: arts are encouraged, as long as they are safe and healthy toward the environment and lands. Creativity and innovation is admired.

9. Science: pursued and encouraged if used for humanity and the environment.

10. Food: Sustainable farming, that benefits the land 

11. Conflict resolution: there are no conflicts

We have been studying and writing creation myths, and now it's my turn to introduce myself on this blog. I'll use the big questions about identity, meaning, and purpose that creation myths explore as my inspiration. Here are 8 things that provide some insight about who I am.

1. Where I come from: Santa Monica 
2. What matters to me: using your own talents to change the world
3. What I love: family
4. Where I am going: a mystery
5. What I dread: losing hope
6. What I hope for: the world to live in harmony
7. What I need: food, shelter, and water
8. Who I am: a person