I think it easy
sometimes to feel that the world is a static enterprise—a social and cultural
grid with fixed parameters. And I hate the way I feel about life when I get
stuck here.
We get this sense, in part, from the relative uniformity of the
social and cultural structures that surround us, but aren’t social and cultural
phenomenon more like deeply engrained habits? Are they not in fact very plastic
and malleable in nature, something the word ‘structure’ does not seem to
acknowledge?
Why, you may be
asking yourself at this juncture, is this important? It is important because
the way our worldviews are constructed has tremendous bearing on how we conduct
ourselves in life. Our worldviews shape our belief systems (either for good or
for ill), they influence our ideas (perhaps setting false limitations) and they
set the tone for the actions we take throughout our life.
If we believe
that the world works a certain way, for example, we will often limit our
choices to those which seem to coincide with that belief, about what it means
and how it is shaped in our mind’s eye.
In order to
cultivate a life of freedom, of joy, of contentment, we must consider that the
load of goods we may have inherited about how the world works isn’t a complete
one, or even a correct one.
We have to open our minds, not to mention liberate our hearts and nourish soul.
Not an easy task
when the prevailing social and cultural norms are trying to box us in, but we can start by questioning our worldview, frisking the thing
for misguided beliefs and limiting ideas about what the world is and how it
works.
Daunting to say
the least, because then one comes smack up against the fundamental mystery that
life is.
I know you were
hoping I had a 5-step directive to execute, but knowledge of the truly
appropriate course of action for your life, lies within your own mind, heart
and soul.
Choose your
worldview with care.
Having said
that, in closing, let me offer this—be a better listener. Learn to cultivate
the skill of listening well to what resonates in the inner chambers of heart,
mind and soul and it will be plainer to see what direction to set your compass
in and what course of action to take.
The world isn’t
just one way—we shape it and can re-shape it one small, patient, thoughtful
step at a time.
