The World As We See It.
It is somewhat strange or unfortunate that we call this world our only home. Of course, people who subscribe to spirituality think there are other worlds out there we cannot see.
Like the concept of heaven and hell. In fact, some people in the scientific world are beginning to consider life on other planets.
What is it about this obsession of other worlds that has had people throughout generations searching for alternatives to what we have here? Until these alternative prove themselves to be true, this is what we have. It is all we have. Whether you love or hate the world, it is your home….at least while you’re still alive. Take a moment to think about how you view the world. It may be different from how someone across the globe views it.
Isn’t it strange how we can live in the same world and yet think of it differently. Sure, the commonalities throughout the planet that indicate the world is one place.
Everything that is natural is consistent everywhere. Trees are trees everywhere in the world. They may be different types of trees, but they ultimately share the same properties that make them trees.
Water is water, air is air, everywhere in the world. Everything seems to be uniform except our interpretation of what the world is.
Are these interpretations responsible for the constant conflicts through history? Though i don’t entirely believe so, they do play a fundamental role in our relations as human.
How we see the world does have a bearing on how we see ourselves, just like conversely, how we see ourselves influences how we see the world. The two are interlinked.
How we see the world has a bearing on how we see the ourselves. People in America see the world as free, fair and busking with opportunity. To them, it is a place alive with possibility, a place that harbors prosperity and goodwill. To the person in Syria, the world is a very different place. Imagine been born into a war, growing up around violent conflict, hunger and pain. To that person the world is cold and cruel. This speaks of the dichotomy of the human experience of the world we live in. Not to mention natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and tsunamis. These certainly reshape perspectives, drastically. Imagine relaxing on the beach on a cool summer afternoon, a practice you have done hundreds, if not thousands of times. Never once have you ever imagined six foot waves crashing into you, sweeping everything in their path for a mile or two. And then it happens. The terror from the experience will be with you for as long as you live and you will certainly see the world as a different place. In other contexts, people see the world as a rigid place governed by laws. Hierarchies and governments, systems of law and order all contribute to a particular perspective of what the world. The funny part is that through out history, societies have changed, and thus, world views have change. It is almost certain that someone who lived three thousand BC, for instance, saw the world as a different place (as a side note, i think life was way better in those times). This makes me realize that world views are fleeting. They change with the times. What holds our anchors then as people? We’ll answer that later. The thought of a fleeting world is scary. We are creatures of habit, we are most comfortable in routine. If anything seems unstable, it scares us. How can we then thrive in a world like this, an ever changing world? Not to mention the leaps and bounds industrial revolution has made in the last two to three hundreds years. Just what do we do?! We anchor ourselves and we do it by force. We convince ourselves that the world is sturdy and stable. In the face of all uncertainty, we hold our chin up and reassure ourself that everything is ok and it is going to be ok. We treat every disaster as an anomaly, even if it shows some kind of trend. The financial collapse of 2008 was not the first one, there had been many before, but we treated it as an isolated incident. There certainly will be many more but we cannot bare uncertainty, so like a schizophrenic, we switch off and turn on our happy face. It’s almost akin to living on borrowed time. Uncertainty terrifies. So we build our own world in our own minds. A world that is predictable, solid and safe. Without this perspective, we cannot face what the world is. We fight to instill our own ideologies of what the world should be. In the fight for stability, countries and entire regions are laid to waste, with one convinced that their world view is superior to the other. The raging contest between capitalism and communism is a good example of this battle. In all honesty, the world is unpredictable and unstable. Sure, there are things in nature that keep us sane, like the sun rising every morning, the availability of air to breath, the very basic things that make life possible. Other than that, we are left to our own devices. We have to wake up and choose everyday what the world will be for us, because we just never know.
Truth be told, the world is what we make it. It is what YOU make it. What ever you think it is, that is what it will be for you. If you think it is free and fair, that is what it will be for you. If you think it is cruel and cold, that is what it will be for you. In its own nature, the world is unstable. It shifting and changing rapidly, according to whover is changing it. If you don’t change it for yourself, those around you will change it for you. How the world is is entirely up to us. Isn’t that a refreshing perspective?! If anything, it is empowering. To know that you have the power to change the world, your world and those who live in it. Next time you go out in the midst of those tall concrete buildings, think to yourself, I’ve got the power! I’ve got the power to change this; for it to be what i have always wanted. Concrete buildings in and of themselves mean nothing. you cant change what the structure looks like. It’s what they represent and what they communicate to you. That is what you can change. It’s about the conversation going on between you and the world. That’s what you can influence. For once in your life, you can be a dictator in the conversation. Those who are affluent in society live how they want. What do you think they converse with the world? If you could eavesdrop, what is it you think you’d hear? Powerful conversations. It is without a doubt they have subdued the world and hurled it in as a servant. There is no question of who serves who. I am convinced this is possible for everyone. Put yourself out there and speak boldly. Tell the world what you want it to be and it will be that, at least for you. If i could see the millions of conversations that go around between people and the world i would marvel, it certainly would be a spectacle. I’m inclined to think, the physical world itself is alive, otherwise how would it hear, how would these conversations take place? It may not talkback verbally, but it speaks through the soul and it moves things around for you. If anything, it is here to serve. The world is here to serve you.
