This article appeared first on ResilientMan.com.
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Our world view shaping the way we develop resilience.[/caption] World views are an important part of us, it what we use to define the world around us. There are three main points I would like to highlight with regards to the concept of world view
- How world view it relates to resilience.
- How world view influences, our choice and behaviours. (Which shape our resiliency)
- How world view determines what is normal and what is not.
What is a world view ?
World view is a collection of internal beliefs and norms we expect from the world around us. These ideals are shaped by our childhood, culture, environment, experiences, religion, friends, family and media. Definition of a world view :
- Orientation > Good or Evil
- Openness > flexible or not
- Do we actually have free choice ? Do we have freedom ? Do we act upon it ?
- How do we acquire knowledge ? How do we validate it ? (which sources we consider trustworthy ?
What are our behavioural preferences :
- Time orientation : Focused on the now or focused on the future (or past)
- Are we satisfied by moment, improvement and self mastery or the lack of it ?
- Where do we shape our morals : Society or Religion or Self-interest ?
- What are the main objectives of our life ?: Nothing , Pleasures, Belonging, Power, Recognition, Spirituality.
- Do we prefer to face challenges or run away from them.
There are more elements to a comprehensive description, but I kept the list limited to make this article short and easier to digest. One can relate to a lot of items in the above list, we all vary in the totality of our world view. We tend to disagree with most people because of deferring world views. When our core beliefs do not match those of others, usually we have to surrender some of our beliefs or the other party has to surrender some of theirs. This is called negotiation.
How does our world view influence our Resilience ?
Our world view is a determinant of our resilience levels. Our time orientation Past, Present, Future is embedded within us after years of feedback from the world. Did our past resilience efforts lead to a gain ? Example: Did spending 5 years at university prove to be an advantage over those who have not ? This determines one of our core resilience motivators. Does a person prefer to
- Uphold traditions (which could be resilience providers in themselves Example: Amish) Past
- Is the primary focus the now (Consumerism) Present
- Is the primary focus the future (Resilient man) Future
Resilience is needed when our World view is shattered :
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When our norms evaporate, openness and flexibility in our "world view" are key for resilience.[/caption] Our world view is what keeps us sane. We have a general idea of what to expect when we open the doors of our homes in the morning. If we live on a main road, we expect a road full of cars during a week day. If we live close to a rain forest we expect monkeys passing by. However if the person living in the city where to open the door and saw a monkey approaching him, that person would need time and energy to process that event. The same happens with disasters, people need a lot of energy to process the unexpected. This is why some people ''bounce back'' and some don not. Our world view, is shaped by the boundaries we expect events to occur in. Average resilient people have their expected maximum (positive outcome) and possible minimum (negative outcome) very close to each other, ie very close to the average. They do not expect to win the lottery every week but nor do they expect that their house is shattered by an earth quake, tornado, hurricane, riots or a financial collapse. Example: Joe my office colleague, does not expect to be mugged nor does not expect to be stranded in the middle of nowhere without a car full of gas. Most people are the same. However since a Resilient Man considers resilience one of his key attributes. These two events, are not something which are completely out of the ordinary. In fact a Resilient woman should mentally and physically prepare for both. When the event occurs it would still be out of the ordinary, but resilient people have a different worldview than the average Joe. A resilient person will be more open to wild extremes in what the surrounding environment will present. With openness comes flexibility and a tendency to cope well with out of the ordinary events and a higher chance to display post traumatic growth.
Your worldview as an assert or a liability :
Your chances of survival during extra ordinary times will depend on how flexible your world view is. If a person is closed up to and changes in and his or her morals are fixed then the chances of survival, will be limited. Simple example: Toileting in the western world is a ritual of cleanliness and privacy. During a disaster this will no longer be the case, toileting will be uncomfortable and semi private. Think flies, nasty odours, no toilet paper and a dirty sheet or wall to provide privacy. When a person is comforted with an immediate threat to his survival, his world view will quickly change. When a person is hungry, has no shelter and no security their priorities, morals and cultural norms will change very quickly. For most, it will be too late. Resilience requires assets in place before the event (start generic assets) and these take a long time to acquire, internalise and master.
Grooming your world view:
Action points: Over time, our world view becomes less flexible and more entrenched deep within us. The more everyday life repeats itself. The more out of the ordinary extra ordinary events will appear. You need to find a way to analyze the things you take for granted and challenge your world view. Knowledge is a key part of our world view. Acting upon newly acquired knowledge is an even greater part of that. Image copy right Some rights reserved by Linds :) Image copy right Some rights reserved by kasrak
This article appeared first on ResilientMan.com.