Rethinking Lifestyle

A worldview is a set of beliefs that is the foundation for our understanding of life and the world. This set of beliefs is a lens through which we interpret what we see and experience in the world. I think it is a good idea to be aware of our worldview and to be able to articulate it. It explains a lot about a person.

For example, being a Christian comes with a set of beliefs through which you see the world. Within Christianity there is an incredible diversity in the set of beliefs that is held. For instance, some people believe that if they ask God for something, He will answer them; things as simple as praying for a parking space in a busy downtown. When the parking space is found, the reason is that God answered the request for a parking space.

Not all worldviews can be described as being religious. Some people have very strong beliefs about how animals should be treated, and they will go to great lengths to influence the way others treat animals as well, including making laws.

Worldviews can also be a set of beliefs about the way economy works. The Chicago school of economics is not an organization but a worldview. Its most famous adherent was Milton Friedman. It holds the view that governments should not interfere in the free market. The opposite economic worldview was held by John Maynard Keynes who believed that government was very important to how the economy should be run. During the Great Depression (1929-1939), John Maynard Keynes’ view that government should intervene, influenced U.S. president Roosevelt, who then tried to improve the economy through investing in public works, providing various subsidies and by running a deficit.

Worldview can also be categorized as political. Are you a conservative, liberal, socialist, communist or libertarian? This is a worldview that affects how you see the world working and can overlap significantly with your economic worldview.

Today, a major worldview that divides people is, “Do you think that what humans do influences the climate?”. If you believe yes, people’s lifestyle affects the climate, then you may choose to drive a smaller car or take a bicycle to work. If you don’t believe people’s behaviour has a significant impact on climate, you will continue to drive your F-150 to the local convenience store for milk.

There is an incredible diversity of worldviews. Unfortunately, we tend to establish ours and then look for the opposite in a binary view of the world; us and them.

My worldview was initially given to me by my parents, my teachers, my pastor. Today, our worldviews come from a wide range of sources. They include the ones I just mentioned, but also include television and the internet. After my initial worldview was formed, I didn’t consider worldview until I was in my 40’s. Even attending university, I didn’t take what I was learning seriously enough to think deeply about what I believed. My worldview changed over my lifetime, but solidified in my 40’s. It was influenced by my colleagues, by voraciously reading, and by doing research on how the world worked. My worldview has changed since then by becoming more nuanced and open to alternatives. As I get older, I have tried to become more tolerant and accepting of different worldviews. I don’t want to fight with anyone, but I love deep discussions that express worldviews.