Part of the series Hangups
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2015-11-02.
Understanding world view helps us understand why we do the things we do.
We are generally all ignorant of what is actually happening around us. This ignorance can either be perpetuated and capitalized upon or fixed to empower the masses. It is time to enlighten home educators who have generally been kept in the dark respecting what is occurring within their community. (Ephesians 4: 11-16)
Bible Reference: Col. 2:8
We are all the product of two things: a combination of our genetic makeup (what we inherited through our parents) and the accumulation of all that we have been exposed to in the environment of our lives. The physical attributes (genetics) of our existence is what it is. Although we can and do make modifications to our genetic makeup (with makeup, for instance!) we cannot “change our stripes” so to speak. However, we are born with an astounding ability to learn.
The ability to learn is part of everyone’s makeup, and comes as naturally as sneezing, coughing or scratching when it itches. Granted, different people have differing abilities, ways and approaches to learning, but all human beings learn. We are all “super computers” recording everything we experience in life, whether or not we are aware of it. This is why children are born to parents (not institutions) because only parents (usually) care enough to provide children with as positive a learning environment as possible, knowing that whatever a child is exposed to will become part of who they are and how they see the world. The term describing this is world view.
There are three main “laws” that define world view:
First, everyone has a world view regardless of who they are or where they live. This world view is the processed (passive or active thinking) result of the accumulation of every single experience one has in life, from birth. Generally speaking, whether we believe or disbelieve; understand or lack understanding; know it or not, all world views are based on the premise of the existence or nonexistence of God. People having a shared world view brought about by their collective belief about God, are usually associated with a religious grouping, even when religion affiliation is denied.
Due to the fact that we live in an imperfect (sinful) world, everybody has accumulated bad information, regardless of what has been learned. Therefore, the second “law” is that everybody’s world view is corrupted with misinformation, lies and errors.
The third “law” of world view is based in the age old problem of seeing ourselves as the center of the universe and the corresponding attitude of having to be right. This “law” is based on a natural tendency to defend ourselves. When avoiding a collision or injury, this natural reflex is good, but when it used to defend our “position” regardless of validity, it becomes a handicap to learning and worse still, the underlying reason for every skirmish and dispute, whether it is Muslims vs. Christians; Palestine vs. Israel; left vs. right or Fred vs. Tom.
Everything we say, do and think; all of our fears, aspirations, traditions, religions, faith and so on, is built upon or associated with our world view. Indeed, every decision we make is based on the foundation of our world view, our assumed knowledge of truth, even when this knowledge is faulty. It is important to understand that our world view either directs us to seek or to assume the truth. It is also important to understand that as adults, we do have some control over what we allow to become part of our world view or our children’s.