What is mathematics?

I've always viewed math (at least in my k-12 schooling) as a necessary evil - something you simply needed to do in order to advance academically and succeed in the "real world." Nobody is going to make the argument that you don't need math in the real world, however, I personally can't recall the last time I needed to whip out my TI-83 and graph a parabola (feel free to leave a comment if you have).

Now-a-days I realize that mathematics is more than addition and subtraction, real and whole numbers, and of course, fractions. Personally, I believe that problem solving is the most important aspect of math and should be heavily emphasized in the school system. In saying this, I don't necessarily mean there needs to be more problem solving in the classroom, simply that educators need to acknowledge the fact there may be more than one right answer to a specific problem. Who are we, as educators, to say that a student is wrong when solving a critical thinking problem? As they say, there's a million ways to skin a cat.

So, "What is mathematics?" Ultimately there's no correct answer to this question - it's a multitude of things: the bane of every fourth graders existence, a means of advancing technology, and the subject I'm most concerned about teaching, among other things. With all the uncertainties, one thing I'm sure of is that mathematics is far more than numbers, and we, as future educators are responsible for instilling that mentality in our students.