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World View
In the eyes of the beholder
Lately, I’ve been reviewing my worldview and giving it a tweak. I grew up in rural New Zealand in the 1970s. I recall seeing on television khaki-clad intrepid newsmen reporting from yellow deserts with bomb smoke in the background. On the television news, I heard about a girl gone missing while riding her horse on the beach and I waited in futility for her to be found. On the news, I heard Elvis had died. On the news, I learned of a massacre one city over and of a landslide where the pictures showed houses on top of each other. I recall understanding at a young age that bad things can and will happen — and add to that, I lived in a home where hugging was for funerals only.
It seems the world is divided into those that believe bad things can happen to one personally, and those who believe bad things won’t happen to them personally; one needs to have experienced firsthand humiliation, degradation, and disrespect for the slot in either camp to solidify. Equally a person has to have experienced true love, edification, political stability, and loyalty to feel that as a presence in the world and therefore incorporated in their worldview. Do you know what I mean? A person who has been mugged on the street has a different perspective on street safety. A person who built their home by hand has a different perspective on independence. A refugee has a different…
