What Are Your Worldviews?

[Kathlene]

Hey all,

 

I am starting this thread to continue from the one I started in the Big Bang One to have a discussion thread, not a debate, on sharing worldviews. I am very interested in hearing what you believe now, if you do, or what makes up your worldview now. This is not a debating thread, rather a thread of coming together and discussing if you wish to do so what gives you hope now, or what form of belief do you walk with now, or what is the thing that gets you through today, tomorrow and next week? They are just a sample of the questions. I am sure I will think of more as posts come in.

 

Please, this is a serious thread. I am not seeking a chance to evangelise or carry on at you. This is a time for me to hear with open ears your side of the story and where you stand now. Thankyou. Cheers.

[Phanta]

Thanks for posting this, Kathlene! This could yield interesting things.

 

Please, this is a serious thread. I am not seeking a chance to evangelise or carry on at you. This is a time for me to hear with open ears your side of the story and where you stand now. Thankyou. Cheers.

 

I hope all respect Kathlene's intent in this thread for there to be no evangelism.

 

Phanta

[nightflight]

My worldview is I don't know. I simply stand in awe that things exist.

[Antlerman]

Great topic, and I will have to take the time later to try to put my thoughts together for you. Like they say, there's nothing easier to talk about than yourself, but I think about this a lot so it will take some time to put some cohesive thoughts together... not while I'm at work.

 

And yes, this thread is cordial discussion, not a slam fest...

[Deva]

I am working on a real essay for this topic! I also hope it will not be the occasion for a slam fest.

[Vigile]

We exist.

[Shyone]

Worldview.

 

In a way, my worldview could be stated in a word: Materialist.

 

I suppose all materialists are not the same, just as not all atheists are the same and not all theists are the same.

 

I am also a naturalist (I believe that materialist is a subset of naturalist) and I am an atheist (of the materialist variety).

 

A mystery to me is something that I don't know (but would like to find out).

 

I see life as nature's origami: Basic materials self-organized by natural processes in complicated ways to produce something that is complex, but still understandable on natural principles.

 

I see the universe in essentially the same way: atoms to solar systems to galaxies to clusters of galaxies - and beyond.

 

Given the abilities of simple chemicals to organize in such astounding ways on this tiny planet, I wonder sometimes about what organization on a grander scale might accomplish.

 

Hmmm.

[ShallowByThyGame]

There exists an objective reality. We have subjective perceptions. If something exists it can be empirically measured. The scientific method can be used to understand our reality.

 

I am a human, or to be more precise, Animalia Chordata Vertebrata Mammalia Primate Hominidae Homo Sapiens. One of billions currently alive. We have been around, as a genetic species, for hundreds of thousands of years. I live on the North American landmass of Planet Earth, which orbits the star Sol, in the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of billions. My conscience experience is created by electrical signals being processed in the brain. Do to errors in cell reproduction, my brain and/or it's supporting organs will certainly malfunction and die in the next hundred years and my existence will end.

 

I perform various activities that reward my pleasure centers, from eating good food, socializing with my kind and sometimes with other kinds, mating, solving puzzles and learning, etc. I am also rewarded when I help other humans achieve these pleasures, and so many of my activities are based around trying to bring happiness to others, including this writing. All these rewards exist because my species evolved them, that is to say they are behaviors that were naturally selected to improve our survival and reproduction. My knowledge of these processes does not detract from my enjoyment of them, it simply helps me optimize them.

 

I was once told that some pleasure centers should be sacrificed for a greater one after life, but that claim did not stand up to objective scrutiny for many reasons. I have been happier since I discarded it, since I do not need to worry about what to sacrifice in this life. Now I only sacrifice short term pleasures for greater long term pleasures I am confident have a chance to come to fruition.

[par4dcourse]

What is my worldview? I'm for it.

[hereticzero]

As much as mentally and physically possible, live and let live.

[oddbird1963]

This is one I will have to think about as well. It deserves a lot of thought.

[BlueGiant]

First pass at a description of my worldview, subjective order laid over an objectively chaotic reality. The universe is irrational, hence the lack of paradoxes that occur. Large hunks can be simulated using complex logical systems, but they are always approximations. It is this irrational nature that prevents the universe from being self-contradictory (yes there is reasoning for this, but will take time to explain.)

 

God(ess)s for a certain value of what could be called deity are likely to exist. Life elsewhere is likely, and it is also likely that it has achieved a more advanced state, technology, what-have-you than we have, allowing for limited deities, think Olympians. On a more esoteric level, what could be called a big-G God, would be more of a summation of things, possibly the underlying chaos, more of a force of nature and pretty damn alien. One-part Tao, one part I'm not sure. The end result is something bigger than the Christian concept of God. Other god-memes can be treated as interfaces to this sort of deal. God bless you is heresy, though deals are not.

 

I find a lot of truth in the Tao Te Ching. I also believe the proposition that "Nothing is forbidden, everything is permitted.", with the caveat that if you screw up, it's on you. Freedom includes the freedom to screw up and you're stuck with the consequences. There is no cosmic-justice beatstick, and people do get away with crap, in fact, justice is pretty much a lie. Prevention of further wrongs, however, is a different matter, but really that's not what most of us look for, when we say Justice, we mean Retribution and Revenge, not Reform and Prevention.

 

I can explain a lot of this in further detail if you want, but I don't have time for a full-on essay at the moment.

[NotBlinded]

Mystic

[Guest Babylonian Dream]

My worldview is that, in one way or another, things became the way they are, and are the way they are, and will become what they'll become. All my duty is is to make of it what I can, enjoying life to the best of my abilities.

[Petrel]

I am very interested in hearing what you believe now, if you do, or what makes up your worldview now. This is not a debating thread, rather a thread of coming together and discussing if you wish to do so what gives you hope now, or what form of belief do you walk with now, or what is the thing that gets you through today, tomorrow and next week?

Jelly beans. And tea.

 

I guess there are several ideas I operate by.

 

1. The universe is much more amazing than I ever imagined. It is older and vaster, and the earth has a much richer history than I supposed. I used to imagine that the universe's history was crammed into a mere 6000 years (mind-boggling now). Since multicellular life first appeared around 0.6 billion years ago, that means multicellular life has been around 1 million times longer than I thought before. That's a lot of history, much of it unknowable, but through research we've uncovered many fascinating things about what the earth and its inhabitants have gone through. And then you think that the earth is 4.5 billion years old and the universe 13.7 billion years old, and it's awe-inspiring.

 

2. Each human has the same inherent value. Christians often suppose that the value of a human without God is zero, but there is no reason why the value of a human is not much greater than zero--indeed, the transient nature of human existence without the anticipation of eternity means that each moment and each experience is that much more important. I value myself very highly, and since there is no measure to say that I am better than others, I should also value others similarly.

 

3. Since there is no external force impressing goals upon my life, I am free to choose my own priorities. Right now those priorities are chiefly my family and the pursuit of Truth, so far as I can catch it.

[HRDWarrior]

I don't know that I have a defined worldview as such. At this point, I am still in awe at our existence - if anything, I find the fact that I am here, walking this planet to be even more awe-inspiring than it was before.

 

I strive to enjoy the little things each day, and find each day and even each moment very precious. I feel a stronger connection with my fellow man, although my strongly logical take on things does not leave me feeling a ton of sympathy if someone doesn't deserve it, either. I enjoy that my dog is just as important as me (or as unimportant).

 

There is no life after death - therefore I am trying to make the most of what I know I have.

 

According to a quiz I took, I'd fall between Materialist and Existentialist for those who prefer labels.

[bdp]

I have no worldview.

[ColorMixer]

How can you go about answering this question? For me, if you have a specific question about what I think on a particular topic I could respond better, but I find it hard to just come up with some all encompassing belief system. Why don't you specify the questions? This notion of "worldview" is so broad that I think trying to answer some generic question doesn't do it justice.

 

What is the thing that gets me through the day? The fact that I am alive and would like to improve myself and my relationships.

[Shyone]

I value myself very highly, and since there is no measure to say that I am better than others, I should also value others similarly.

 

This is profound. It is the nuts and bolts of empathy, and it is now clear to me that it arises from a sense of equality and humility.

 

Thank you for that.

[Franko47]

When I was young, there was a certain way that my parents and other adults wanted me to be.

 

As I got older, there was a certain way that the "world" wanted me to be.

 

Even older still, there was a certain way that "religion" wanted me to be.

 

There finally came a time when I realized that only person qualified in this contest was for me to decide the way I was to be.

 

When you cross that threshold, and become comfortable with yourself, you lose the need for the ongoing approval of parents, teachers, religion, and so on that one might have felt before.

 

While still open to the counsel of others, it is nevertheless better to think for yourself, take responsibility for your actions and mistakes, not dodge guilt nor unnecessarily blame other people or yourself when things go wrong for a whole lot of reasons.

 

There is no one who is happy if they are constantly riding themselves, recoiling in guilt, worried about approval, and stuck in the merciless position of trying to understand their "role" in the Universe.

 

Striving for happiness, peace of mind, and a little serenity are always good goals. I've always believed that you can't really find the right answers for yourself until you have screwed up supremely, been cast upon the ropes, hopelessly embarrassed yourself, totally blown it, and felt like you're a total retard at life.

 

It's then that you start to get it. No man (or woman) just sails through life clicking their heels. If they do, then they must be unbelievably shallow. And even then, they're just hiding their pain. You sometimes can't experience a true positive until you've experienced a true negative.

 

In short, I wasn't always this cool. It took a lot of fuck-ups to achieve "Cool Consciousness". That's why you younger members shouldn't be so hard on yourself and stuff. Life can very complicated, and people have no grasp of what they do. Humans like to open their mouth and make all sorts of claims, because we're always in a hurry to "nail down reality" and then nod at the other monkeys for approval.

 

A curious creature, the human. Handle with care. Real life results may vary. But there is one thing that we all share, regardless of existential or metaphysical beliefs.

 

Love is never wrong; the simple act of helping another person, showing empathy, comfort, and sharing joy is never wrong. That's why my cat is currently shoving his head under my armpit as I try to type this post. It's a feeding gimmick, but it works. He already knows all the secrets of the universe.

 

The little shit.

 

peace

[Guest Valkyrie0010]

The world is like a canva for me to paint.

It gets changed my mistakes.

Its perfections make it a dream

It is what is can be and what it should be.

It is mine.

 

Okay forgive me for waxing poetic.

 

I don't have to worry about what a mystery man up stairs wants, I get to worry about what I want.

[Kathlene]

Thankyou all for the replies so far. There were some that went a little over my head, and others with pure simplicity that was profound.

 

Franko thanks for the good belly laugh about your cat. I often think cats have all the answers to life, lol.

 

I am also looking forward to the replies from the people who are working on it.

 

Here are just a couple of questions, because someone asked for more specific things rather than just the general term worldview.

 

I am also trying my hardest not to come across as pretentious, or difficult or offending. I genuinely seek these answers for my own understanding and growth. So here goes...

 

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

I think for me, when I deconverted was how scary my world became without God, and I could not for the life of me accept or find comfort in my world without god in it. I felt alone and there seemed to be emptiness in my life. I found complete peace in turning back to Him, and I found hope again. yeah yeah, I know how you all feel about that. My point is, how and where do you find your peace and hope without god? I really want to understand it. Thanks.

[Guest Valkyrie0010]

Now i dont mean to be assholish but......

It takes a bit of strength to be completly secular.

I find hope in myself and humanity.

I find hope in dreaming.

 

I find peace in the arts.

[HRDWarrior]

To the more specific questions of hope and peace - I don't think I feel the need for a strong sense of "hope." I'm content with where I am, where I am going, and what I have. I don't need to hope for something better, greater, or otherwise. I guess some of my Buddhist studies that have stuck with me probably are a part of that, but I found that living with what IS, rather than with HOPE far more peaceful.

 

Which leads to peace - my peace comes from within, and from acceptance. For once in my life, I am at peace with myself, who I am, and the way I am. I don't need to change unless I want to. This means I am free to live my life, which has also been peaceful. If there's something I don't like, I change it. I no longer feel like my life is out of my control, and this has improved my outlook ten fold. Sure, there are always things that I wish were a little different, but now, rather than wondering why "god" won't fix things, I take an honest look at my situation, see the options, and make a decision rather than waffling with wondering why things are the way they are.

[Shyone]

Where do you find hope? How do you find hope?

Where do you find peace, and what do you find peace in?

 

Hope, for me, is short term and long term. A goal is an expression of a hope.

 

I hope I can go to a conference in San Francisco; I hope I have fun there. I hope my wife can come. I hope I can pay off the IRS and have money left over. I hope that someday I can buy a car, move back to my home, and not get cancer.

 

Long term goals are more like for retirement. I hope I don't have to grovel, I hope that when I do die it is quick, painless, and occurs before I become a burden. I hope my children have good lives, however they define that. I hope my wife outlives me and enjoys life after I'm gone.

 

Peace is the accomplishment of goals. I have enough money to pay the IRS. I am at peace. I can afford to eat and have housing; I am at peace. I am neither too cold nor too hot. I am at peace. I feel good about donations and gifts I have made that have benefitted others. That gives me peace. I am loved, and that is peaceful.

 

So there you have it. It's like "what meaning is in your life?" My life has the meaning I give to it by the goals I set and the things I do to accomplish those goals. Those are my hopes, and I have peace when I need it.

 

Life isn't about perpetual happiness; it's a struggle. We love and hate the struggle, but without struggle, there is no life.