Sophie’s World and Now

 (Review from Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder)

Edward Nicko Garcia

“Life is both sad and solemn. We are led into a wonderful world, we meet one another

here, greet each other---and wander together for a brief moment. Then we lose each

other and disappear as suddenly and unreasonably as we arrived.”

For once, the world that I want may well be difficult to understand. The world that I aim

may be impossible to experience. Once in a blue moon, I need not dream within the

realm of mystery because the world that I've known for so long does exist.

At a single moment, I attached myself to a book of wonder. To decipher every chapter

of this book meant a lot because for the first time, I was trying to skim a book that I don’t

understand at a glance. While reading on the first chapter, I remember the plight of the

world nowadays, being submerged in the pool of political uncertainties and dilemma.

For the people indeed, this book resembles our utmost intention for freedom of

information, our mind setting capability to ask, our queries for the government’s scrap

businesses, our desire for transparency. This mirrors us all.

Needless to say, we love our stature as keen observers. Thus, Jostein Gaarder’s

Sophie’s world gave me the privilege to ponder that what is known to you may be

unknown to others and what is known to others may be unknown to you.

Just like Sophie who contemplated letters from an unknown and enigmatic person, I

believe in politics in the unknown.  As Sophie soon after find out that a mysterious

teacher is making up her mind to think outside the box, I for one, believe that the

existence of politics is merely a mysterious “foolitics” because every politician is also

making up our mind for them to be called as public servants.

However, our fate and Sophie’s fate are different. In Sophie’s world, the trust that she

had given to Albert Knox (philosopher) is extraordinary. Paradoxically, in a kind of

government where many have nothing and few have the bounty, where do we base

their trust in the days to come? In a kind of nations where many queries remain

unanswered by the government, what is there to hope for?

In the first chapters of the book, Sophie’s world may have been chasing for the letter-

sender. Meanwhile, we, people are chasing for billions of pesos, multi- million priced

cars and properties who have been corrupted by deceit. Sophie’s World tends to inquire

about what is here and now.

At the very least, Sophie’s existence does somehow find the answers to the book’s

ideology. On the other hand, in the long and tedious search, every nation is still in a

midst difficulties looking for justice. Today, we may not be Sophie who finally had

mystery uncovered. However, the story of every people across the globe is still in the

making, soon to be discovered and worth to be remembered.