weltanschauung

Everybody has one, whether they know it or not.

I first learned that I had one in college, from my dear philosophy professor Dr. B. (Karen H. will remember him as will her hubby!). Dr. B. taught us about more than philosophy, if we were very clever we could get him completely off track as he would begin to recount his stories of WWII escapades in the Rainbow Division. Just as he escaped from the Germans, we felt that we had escaped from lectures on Hegel or Kirkegaard. We would congratulate ourselves on getting him off topic, but since he was smarter than the bunch of us put together, I don't think we really pulled any wool over his eyes. Eventually he would always get around to Hegel or Kirkegaard or whoever the philosopher of the day was.


But I digress - guess I learned that from him too. Where was I? Oh, yeah, weltanschauung.

That is simply the German word for 'world view' or your 'look onto the world' - your perception of things. According to Wikipedia: "...the framework through which an individual interprets the world and interacts in it."

So, we all have one and they are all different. Even siblings will have slightly different outlooks on the world, as will husbands and wives. Our world views are formed by our familes, our values, our experiences - a hundred different things help shape how you view the world.

I view the world differently today than I did ten years ago or even yesterday. Our world views may stay essentially the same through our lives, but an accident or a death or a birth or an influential book or movie may change our weltanschauung.

I was contemplating this as I drove home from Minneapolis on Thursday. My reactions to the various programs I listened to driving over Highway 8 surprised me a bit and I wondered how I got to be so opinionated. Me opinionated? I know, you are shocked.

It would be impossible to list all of the things that formed my world view. The most important ones though, are my faith and my family.

More philosophizing on Monday...right now the sun is shining in the Northwoods, the birds are singing and the temperature is a balmy 30 degrees. Time to get back outside and enjoy!