Whether you go to a government school or a private school, think about how you would answer this question in class if your teacher said: “OK, class. Today for a writing exercise we are going to write out a declaration of our beliefs to read to the class. That’s right. I want to know what you believe (for example: Where did you come from? Why are you here? Where are you going?—and this doesn’t mean where you were born and where you have lived). I’m not interested in what you think or hope to be true, I want to know what you know to be true. Here is the catch: you need to say it in about 75 words. That’s about five to eight sentences. And try to convince me! Go!”