Kalistan

[Doc]

At home with the Minor Princess Margaret
Her Highness speaks on faith, service, and being the "Second Kid"
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 6, 5630


Minor Princess Margret Nicolette Ananto-DeLaurentis at Cliff House

La Moda was given the opportunity to speak with Her Highness, the Minor Princess Margret-Carolina Nicolette Ananto-DeLaurentis at Cliff House in Wilson Hill.  The invitation comes as the Minor Princess, 16, prepares to enter her final year of secondary education.  During the wide ranging interview, the Minor Princess talked about everything from her plans for the future to the central role that faith plays in the life of her family.  Coming away from the interview, we got the impression of a young woman who may just be the freest person on the planet.

(La Moda's) J(aqueline) A(lonso-Martinez):  Thank for speaking with me today, Your Highness.

(Her Highness, the Minor Princess) M(argaret-Carolina Nicolette) A(nanto-DeLaurentis):  Welcome to my home.  This is pretty exciting for me.  Forgive me if I am a bit nervous.

JA:  I believe you will do great.

MA:  We'll see, I suppose.

JA:  How about this view?!  The Wilson Bridge in the background looking out over Kaliburg.  What a phenomenal panorama.

MA:  We are indeed fortunate to have this house.  I've visited the place where my parents used to live on the other side of the point, and I have to say, the views from here are far better.  You get a lot of the City on that side, but the west side of the Hill is certainly less developed.  Before my family purchased the Hill and turned it into a park, only rich people lived over here and there weren't many houses on this side.

JA:  Well, if I am not being too forward, I would say the Ananto Family is pretty wealthy.

MA:  True-- let's just leave it at I feel very fortunate.  My bedroom upstairs has an even more panoramic view.  

JA:  So-- let's talk about you.  Our readers are very interested in getting to know you.  You are obviously a Princess, but you aren't tapped to run the Empire like your older sister is.  Will you talk a little bit about what that's like?

MA:  Well, I'm still working on getting through school.  So, I'd say I'm probably like any other kid.  I have teen drama, of course.  My parents do a pretty good job of trying to keep the two parts of my life separate from one another, so I can live as close to a normal life as someone in my situation can live.  They did that with (Her Highness, the Crown Princess) Mary (Natalia Ananto-DeLaurentis) too when she was a kid, but obviously, now they can't, because she's out of the house doing National Service.  But I have another year or so of it, so it's pretty good I guess.

JA:  What are you studying this year?

MA:  Well, I have calculus this year.  That's kind of scary.  Lots of history, government and philosophy.  Conversational Egelian, Literature...  its a pretty full schedule, I would say.

JA:  Would you say you are fairly studious?

MA:  I mean...  Maybe not?  I like playing sports, really.  I like football, I think they should have a girl's league.  It's not really fair that they make girls do field hockey instead.  I just got to make it through this year, and then I have a few years to think about if I want to go to college or not.

JA:  Your sister felt the same way about college.  She was pretty ambivalent.

MA:  Yeah, Mary's kind of a free spirit.  I think she would rather be out in nature than stuck in school.  I personally would rather be on a football field.

JA:  Luckily for you, you can make choices like that.

MA:  I am lucky like this.  I will likely get the County of Luxon, but other than that, right now, I have no other official expectations of me or my time or anything.  Once I finish National Service I can do anything.  I can become a philosopher if I want.

JA:  Do you enjoy philosophy?

MA:  I do, its the one subject in school that really speaks to me.  Big ideas like what is love and beauty and justice?  They really resonate with me.  I spend a lot of time in Meeting pondering these questions.

JA:  Would you say religion is very important to you?

MA:  Well, not so much religion as faith, perhaps.  You might call it a connection with a higher power or larger purpose or the Light, whatever you want to say.  My mother believes specifically in God.  I've spent a lot of time in Church with her over my life, and there's something in that too.  It's very comforting to her to know that she will go to heaven.  But I think it kind of stresses her to think that maybe Mary and I won't be there with her.  Or my dad.  Because her church teaches, in their religion that you have to believe in Eliyahu to go to heaven.  I don't think I believe in all that:  The way they talk about him, he was a great magician, but I'd say he had as much of the Truth as I do.  My mom puts a lot more stock in that part of her faith, and if that works for her, at least she shouldn't get down on others for believing something different, or not believing fully what she believes.

JA:  Does the differences in beliefs lead to conflict between you and Her Highness, the Empress Consort?

MA:  No, maybe more like there's just things we kind of don't talk about a lot, which is kind of sad in a way.  Mary was a lot worse, I think she's an atheist.  She likes nature.  She's like, a hippy.  They would argue all the time and Mary would say she didn't believe in God at all.  I'm a little more mid way between them two.  It's very important to me that I believe in something.  I am a Brethrenist, after all.  There is something that whispers in my ear to tell me right from wrong and there is something that motivates me to to pick the right.  My mom is full Hosian, and so she told us that thank God I am at least something.  She's convinced my sister is probably going to go to hell and that kind of scares her.  My mother will also attend Meeting with my father and me, but she's always a little bit guarded, like she's not sure.  So we just don't really get into it.

JA:  How would you say your Brethrenism has affected your life?

MA:  I'm not going to say that, you know, Brethrenism is really the only way to believe, or that we are somehow better than others, or we have the answers.  I will say for myself, though it has taught me about the importance of being honest, and it has taught me the importance of human dignity and equality.  I know:  there is this big thing about how my family in particular is this and that, and it is a critique that we are Brethrenists, but at the same time, news papers are publishing photos of the Gem Vault.  But I will say this:  it is a conflict within the family as well.  Each one of the Anantos, unless you married in, were born into this situation.  My dad, my sister, my aunt, even my grandma to some extent, were all born into this family.  And we have a duty to serve to repay the amazing blessings that we have been given by this world.  That is our role in the world.  

I mean, the universe balances things:  To those who much is given, much is expected.  We, and I mean my whole family, have a duty to fulfill the role that our history, our culture, and our society has assigned to us.  And so, far more than the average Kalistani who doesn't own a bunch of houses or a treasure vault, the Brethren have also made it very clear to us, that our family owes a debt we can never repay to the people of Kalistan.  As it balances for us, we find ourselves made the equals of those who owe nothing to their society, because they have nothing.  We try to keep this in mind to stay grounded and especially my family, we try to live as austerely as we can, so we don't incur more debt to the universe and to the society.

JA:  Do you feel any less of a burden being the "second kid"?

MA:  Absolutely I do.  Mary is so amazing.  You know, she is out doing forest replanting in Neveras right now?  She just loves it.  She writes me letters and even names the tress she plants.  She's planted more than 3500 trees so far, just herself.  She totally loves being in nature and being able to look out over a tract of land and know that by the time she is Empress, the tree she plants today will be providing shade and reducing erosion and everything.  But when she comes back, she has to start getting ready for the rest of her life.  She knows what she will be doing for the rest of her life, and it isn't planting trees for a living.  

I, on the other hand, am totally free to do what I want with my life.  I have no idea what I will be doing, but if I want to play football, I can.  If I want to go surfing, I can.  If I want to go to Hutori for a week, I don't have to have a whole office plan every step of my trip, I can go out and explore the world.  She may be the Empress, but I will be far freer than she will be.  Like all things, its a trade off.  She'll have the power, but Mary I think would rather be in the forest, convening with nature.  Instead she'll have to stay in Kaliburg and work all the time.  I, on the other hand, need to convene the County Government once a year and appoint some judges, or go to some banquets for my Dad's smoke thing from time to time, and otherwise, I can dedicate my life to making myself happy.

I may truly be the freest person in the whole world, because the only thing that holds me down is gravity.  I can literally do anything I want, and its because nobody expects me to do anything at all.  So everything I accomplish, or anything I do that helps anyone anywhere, I can do that because I want to do that, and I don't have to do anything I don't want to do at all.  Being the "second kid" is great.  

JA:  Do you feel like you will be living in your sister's shadow though?

MA:  No.  Mary will cast no shadow.  The sun will stay directly over her head 24 hours a day, like a big bright spotlight.  You can't compare anyone, even me, to Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of Ananto and Kalistan.  We aren't even in the same stadium.  We aren't even playing the same game.  She is, well, she is the world, the entire world.  And I just get to be me.  At the end of the day, I feel like I would never want to trade places.  I would be miserable under that kind of pressure.

JA:  Well, that's pretty definite.

MA:  I've given it a lot of thought in my life.

JA:  I imagine.  I think that about covers it.  Would you like to add any concluding thoughts?

MA:  Just that, a couple years ago, when the Black Bears won the national championship it was such an exciting season.  Last year, Sulari won it, but I am hoping the Black Bears come back this year, Go Black Bears!  Oh and, Wanderlust, I love you guys!

Ja:  Haha, alright.  Thank you for the interview, Your Highness.

MA:  As always, La Moda is welcomed here any time.

@LaModa