“I don’t think I’m that interested in badminton either.”
“You’re kidding!”
Sophie noticed the touch of bitterness in Joanna’s tone.
“Do you mind telling me what’s suddenly so important?”
Sophie just shook her head. “It’s ... it’s a secret.”
“Yuck! You’re probably in love!”
The two girls walked on for a while without saying anything. When they got to
the soccer field Joanna said, “I’m going across the field.”
Across the field! It was the quickest way for Joanna, but she only went that way
when she had to hurry home in time for visitors or a dental appointment.
Sophie regretted having been mean to her. But what else could she have said?
That she had suddenly become so engrossed in who she was and where the world
came from that she had no time to play badminton? Would Joanna have understood?
Why was it so difficult to be absorbed in the most vital and, in a way, the most
natural of all questions?
She felt her heart beating faster as she opened the mailbox. At first she found
only a letter from the bank and some big brown envelopes for her mother. Darn!
Sophie had been looking forward to getting another letter from the unknown sender.
As she closed the gate behind her she noticed her own name on one of the big
envelopes. Turning it over, she saw written on the back: “Course in Philosophy.
Handle with care.”
Sophie ran up the gravel path and flung her schoolbag onto the step. Stuffing
the other letters under the doormat, she ran around into the back garden and sought
refuge in the den. This was the only place to open the big letter.
Sherekan came jumping after her but Sophie had to put up with that. She knew
the cat would not give her away.
Inside the envelope there were three typewritten pages held together with a
paper clip. Sophie began to read.
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
Dear Sophie,
Lots of people have hobbies. Some people collect old coins or foreign
stamps, some do needlework, others spend most of their spare time on a
particular sport.
A lot of people enjoy reading. But reading tastes differ widely. Some
people only read newspapers or comics, some like reading novels, while
others prefer books on astronomy, wildlife, or technological discoveries.
If I happen to be interested in horses or precious stones, I cannot expect
everyone else to share my enthusiasm. If I watch all the sports programs on
TV with great pleasure, I must put up with the fact that other people find
sports boring.
Is there nothing that interests us all? Is there nothing that concerns
everyone—no matter who they are or where they live in the world? Yes, dear
Sophie, there are questions that certainly should interest everyone. They are
precisely the questions this course is about.
What is the most important thing in life? If we ask someone living on the
edge of starvation, the answer is food. If we ask someone dying of cold, the
answer is warmth. If we put the same question to someone who feels lonely
and isolated, the answer will probably be the company of other people.
But when these basic needs have been satisfied—will there still be