Your worldview determines how you spend every waking moment observing, evaluating, judging, appreciating, disliking and enjoying whatever you are experiencing.  Much of the time you pass through life unconsciously, rarely noticing how your worldview colors everything you take in through your senses:  the repugnant smell of sulfur or the pleasing scent of orange blossoms; the delight of a soft breeze or bitterness of a cold winter morning; the beauty of a soaring eagle or the ugliness of a burnt out building; the delicious taste of your favorite food or the taste of spoiled leftovers; the music of a bird’s song or the strike of a jackhammer.  Many of us would describe these experiences in similar ways, and we would agree that our opinions are “true”:  everyone knows that sulfur stinks and orange blossoms smell lovely!

 

When Worldviews Limit Us

Although we may have a lot in common regarding our worldviews, we also have many differences.  You are likely not aware, for example, that you may have created a narrow and inflexible world for yourself.  The world seems so finite, clear and concrete that you also may not realize that your worldview is an abstraction.  It is a framework that helps you make sense of the world, but it is also constantly being challenged by a world in flux.  If you see the world as absolute and solid, never to be questioned, you limit your ability to see the world as it is, from different and deeper perspectives.

 

One way that we can reflect on the nature of worldview is to determine if we are primarily optimistic or pessimistic, and to what degree we see ourselves that way. For example, I grew up in a very pessimistic family:  the world was viewed as a dangerous place; no one could be trusted; you had to look out for yourself because no one else would; friendships were few.  For many years I found myself rebelling against this view, unwilling to accept my family’s perspective.  Finally I realized that their worldview was so deeply ingrained that my arguments to at least temper their perspectives were not only useless; they made no sense to them. 

 

Instead of fighting their worldview, I reflected on my own way of seeing the world.  I realized that although in some ways the world is dangerous, that it also offered opportunities to grow, to make friends and to experience joy.  That instead of seeing danger around every corner, I saw adventure and possibility.  That although I was shy about getting to know people, I learned that I had the ability to discern the kinds of people I wanted to be friendly with and work with, and I would not nurture relationships that were not compatible with my own worldview; the people whose worldviews were complementary to mine were often different from me in many ways, but at a fundamental level they were optimistic and appreciated life.  Perhaps more importantly I realized that my ability to live out my worldview meant that I needed to be conscious of it and realize that living it was a choice.  I also accepted the fact that others could choose differently. 

         

When the Unconscious isn’t Conscious

For most of us, our worldview is unconscious:  we’re unaware of it, don’t realize how it influences our attitudes about others and the world around us, and don’t realize how it drives our behavior.  That’s why it can be helpful to become aware that you have a worldview and to reflect on the influence it has on your life. 

 

One way to start becoming more aware of a worldview is to notice the times when you speak in extremes:  everyone does that, no one believes that, you always say that, you never help me, and other radical statements.  You know rationally that it’s highly unlikely that these extremes apply to any situation.  You draw on them, however, when you feel threatened or angry—when you feel you need to defend your own worldview or if  you think that your worldview is being challenged, or at some level you don’t trust or value the worldview of another.

 

Making the Unconscious, Conscious

So the first step in making the most of your worldview is to recognize you have one, and to begin to notice when you feel called to defend or justify it.  There is nothing you need to change.  Instead, when you find yourself defending your point of view, take a moment (in the moment, or later) to reflect on the belief underlying that point of view.  It’s so interesting to reflect on the beliefs, values and experiences that have led you to choose to see the world in a particular way.  There’s no need to make it bad or wrong, any more than you need to protect or explain it.  Just notice what comes up for you, and take that opportunity to better understand how you relate to others and the world around you.

 

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