Growing up

When I was in grade school (I'm guessing somewhere around 4th grade), I started a recycling club. We thought it would be cool to walk around town and pick up trash. This club came after the failed Best Friends Club (complete with dues) that was preceeded by the failed Stationary Club. I also joined a Baptist Church Group (after which my mom was convinced she was losing me and forced me to get confirmed in the Catholic Church as soon as possible). Before I was yanked out of this youth group, however, I can remember going to conferences on how rock music was evil and should be avoided at all costs. In junior high, I participated in an organized gathering of students to pray around a flag pole at my public school. And I was a cheerleader. And I coreographed dances for our choir performances. And I wrote plays and books and all sorts of junk.

Today I don't have a single environmental tendency in my body. I refused to join a sorority because who wants to pay money to have a group of friends? I'm a practicing Catholic by tradition, and borderline atheist by dogma. I listen to angry girl rock and one of my favorite songs is by Ben Folds about a guy tripping in a tree. I would fight to the death to keep prayer out of public schools. I refuse to dance in any state other than flat out drunk, mostly because I suck so much. And I'm a terrible writer - I refuse to reread anything I've ever written. (except for a note to a boy in the 5th grade telling him I like him and asking him to "go out" with me - that's some DAMN funny reading)

So my question is this: is the older, more liberal, better educated and in many ways MUCH more self-conscious me the better one? Or is the younger, naive, confident, more religious, more conservative me the better one? and how the hell did i get here?!?!