How do you view the world?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

A very difficult question to answer, granted, but I am wondering what are your fundamental views. For example
What is most important to you, on a purely personal level.
What is most important to you that you wish you could change but can't.
How do you interact with strangers, i.e are they just background and of no interest to you, people you watch and try to learn from, or people you activly seek to get to know?
How involved are you in global issues, and do you act upon your beliefs?
If you are religous, in what ways does it impact you day to day?

My own answer, though it is hard to put in ords is.

I am an atheist.
I believe in the power of a natural environment, but it takes certain circumstances for me to tap into that. Lying in a deserted cove, or wandering through the Scottish highlands affects me in a way that is not possible to qualify. Pople buy houseplants and flowers as they tap into this feeling.
But similarly rushing through a busy london street surrounded by people and beauty, of a man made variety, can have an incredible effect on me and boost my mood.

The few global issues I am passionate about are the child slave trade, landfills and the power of massive corporations. I feel very powerless to help with these, though I try.

I also try to speak and interact with people around me. Living in London, I have been told I am one of the few people that ever chats to our local newsagent, similarly, I always say thankyou to the bus driver, which no one does, and chat happily to anyone who strikes up a conversation at a bus stop (for example, and old lady recently who was ignored by everyone else). I have actually recievd some great parenting advice from a random stanger on the bus.
I really hate the environment now that everyone is just looking out for themselves, ranging from ignoring someone striking up a onversation, to ignoring someone who has passed out in the street.

After that stream of conciousness, I will say.

Money is a simply means to survive, and shouldn't be coveted. Treat nothing with suspicion, until you have warrant to. Try to seek the beauty in everything. Worry about the things you care about, but remember there is only so much you can do to help. When you are having a hard time remeber that everything is transient.

I missed out the most important part (I was saving it for last)
After giving birth the rush of love was so intense that nothing else mattered, and it has intesified my feeling s for my family and closest friends. They are the most important thing to me, and i would do anything I could for them.

When the curtain closes all that matters is that you have loved, and been loved in return.

Hard to put in words, but a good question!!!

I'm a Christian, not just a go-along-on-sunday CHristian but an affects-all-of-my-life Christian. It informs how I view the world, how I treat people, how I shop, what I do with my life, how I raise my kids,, how I interact with my husband. As far as I can I try to make every important decision through the focus of the faith that I hold to. It is the most important thing in my life. Its not just a do-good thing or a feel-I-have-to thing, but a relationship with God that is emotional and intense, not a 'what do I beleive', but 'who do I trust, who do I turn to' - its about a person, not an institution.

In many ways, I wish I could change the past - the things tha have happened that I wish hadn't, the thins I have done that I really shouldn't have. Teh people I have offended, the people I have hurt. ANd also the things that have happened to me that have made me not as good a person as I otherwise might have been.
I wish I could change injustica in the world. I try to help in any way I can, but I get overwhelmed sometimes with how big the worlds problems are. A child dies of poverty every 3 seconds, how could I not care aout that?

Its a cliche, but strrangers are friends I dont know yet. I talk to everyone, evn jus to say 'nice day?' I love the interaction, the geting to know you. Strangers are people. Sometimes when I am siting on the bus, lookingot the window as we drive along, I go past houses and think wow! There are people in there doing stuff! Or flying over a city at night, looking at all the lights, I am amazed and in awe of all the livs going on down there. I love people
I love to meet new people, learn from them, learn abotu them, make new friends.

I try to be as involved in global issues as I can. We give to Oxfam, Christian Aid, we are members of Amnesty International (actively), I Hate the term 'charity begins at home' - it doesnt, well, maybe in your own thinking, but it has to be where the need is greatest. I might be a pinko-iberal guardian reading lefty, but I do all I can. I buy fairtrade. I boycot Nestle, i write to my MP. But biggest of all, our family are plnning to move abroad in about a year - 18 months where dhand I will be involved in education adn medical development work. e really want to put our money where our mouths are, take time out and go and DO something!

All this the way I iteract with the world and people, is due to my beleifs. I beleive that what I do with my life is a calling from God. I might sound certifiable, but I really really think this is true. Day to day we pray adn read the bible as a family, and more and more we see God leading us to be radical in the way we live, to be diferent, to stand up for things we bleive in, to stand up for this who cant stand up fot themselves.

If I'm wrong, then I have lived a good life anyway and it has been rich adn fulfling. If I'm right, then I stand to gain so much.

There you go. thanks for asking!!

Wow thankyou for this. I love hearing others views on the world. And it's certainly hard to put in words!
I very much understand about looking at others houses, or flying into a city from a plane, or more extremely, seeing satellite images from space. It really puts things into perspective.
On a personal level, I regularly caught a 15 minute train from central London to home and always saw the same windows and tower blocks. You can't help but wonder about al the individual dramas going on within them, and all the saddnes but also happiness. It certainly does put your own worries into perspective though.

Something very small, that found really significant, was a window where the curtains were aways drawn, and hanging down from the top of the rails, it then changed to the cutains being pulled back and a vase of fresh flowers on the windowsill. It seemed like a very significant statement. Perhaps they had a hard time, but things have bcome more postive.

I expect a lot of people just see it as scenery, and never think like that, and that is why they are unfriendly , or ignorant.

TDWP, that is a really nice thought. I know what you mean about looking at all the anonymous people around us and really seeing them as people. I often do that when we're in the car, on the motorway.

My family is the most important thing to me, on a personal level, without a doubt. I've given up everything for them, and there's not been many times when I've regretted that.

I know my lifestyle is really different to most people in this country, and I don't try and force people to think the way I do, but I will defend it. I don't feel got at if people disagree, though, it's a big world. I try and be friendly and personable to everyone. And I try to smile at strangers if I get the chance, because there's far too many lonely people who never interact properly with a soul all week long.

We sponsor children and support various charities. Politically, I'm probably more right than left. I think the 'Charity begins at home' thing to us means that you treat your family with kindness and consideration, because it doesn't mean owt if you're the biggest philanthropist in the world but your kids hate you.

I'm a Christian, and like harrisey, it's a whole-life thing. Sometimes it would be really nice to jack it all in because it can make life really hard, but I honestly do believe it, despite some significant wibbly moments.

worldviews are so varied, I hope others post to this thread, I find it fascinating to see how differently others see things.

Suebaroo thanks.
I hope so too.
Sadly this kind of thread gets far less attention than one about the latest handbag in gap, or news on reality tv.

In what way is your lifestyle unusual?

Oh, we homeschool, have very traditional views about family-life and are very religious in comparison to a lot of even religious people. We're not technically fundamentalists, but often get labelled fundy. I'm not very good one, though, cos I swear when I get angry.

This is a very interesting thread, - it's just so much harder to answer than one about a handbag!

Very briefly because its school run time -

What is important to me - My children and my partner are the most important thing. I stopped work to be at home and i never regret that - although i didnt' realise that's how i'd feel before having them. I genuinely don't have an opinion on what other people do, i think you just know what you need to and have to do. I love it - love motherhood, it's been the most astonishing and wonderful thing.

In order to do it well though, i need space and time to myself too - i need to be achieving something or working towards something for myself - so thats why i work freelance in the evenings and one day a week - and i need to be doing something creative. When i have times when i'm not working on something i feel quite unhappy.

Feel like you dwp about nature. Love being in the countryside, it makes me gives me a surge of happiness to be walking around in spring in a country lane.

Money has never really been a big thing. We don't have any, and i'd like to be slightly more comfortable, but i'm not driven by it at all, i don't care what car we have or how much stuff we have, i'm not in debt and will never own a credit card, i believe in living within your means.

I talk to strangers, i'm quite open with people, maybe a bit too much sometimes, but it often means strangers tell me their secrets. I smile at people and strike up conversation with anyone, i think i'm approachable - having likeminded people around is really important to me. But, i'm also pretty critical - not something i like about myself, but i am.

Not religious at all.

Global issues - important. My dp is deeply effected by global issues, he constantly feels frustrated and angry by things, and i can feel this way, but fleetingly and i can't let it depress me. We do lots on small scale - products, no plastic bags, recycle, cloth nappies, organic, grow veg etc. I think its important to follow conscience.

Read this back. Goodness i'm a bit of an ass. Oh well. must run

When I see people looking sad or angry I imagine what they look like smiling or laughing. It's really easy to imagine and it cheers me up no end. I guess I like to naively believe that most people have something comforting or cheering to go home to even when they look thoroughly fed up. And it makes me sad that this may not always be the case. I've actually found that I've started to interact more with people recently, probably since DD was born. I think I've become more fearless after being quite shy most of my life. I believe people make mistakes and can't necessarily be blamed for them. The only thing I hate is malice, whilst still recognising that there may be reasons for people to behave cruelly.

I'm not religious, I'm kind of searching for something spiritual whilst logically concluding there can be nothing else but us. Very confusing! I believe wholeheartedly in the power of the mind though - dreams fascinate me, as do symbols. I don't believe they can predict the future but I do believe they can help heal the mind.

What's most important to me is my family, especially my daughter. I could lose everything else in the world and cope as long as I have my family.

I'll ponder more and may post later. I'm being summoned by DD to play hide and seek at the moment and what's more important than that!

Boco, lots of what you said could have been writen by me.
I have decided to decicate at least the first few years of my childrens lives to them, and that just seemed the natural choice for me. I do however have my own small business, which I spend time on as ans when. I agree that having a creative, or non familial outlet is vital!

I do get pangs of jealously when friends with reat jobs are travelling the world, or can afford beautiful clothes, or just simple things like a spontaneous dinner out , but, I could travel the world without having meetings to go to, and can make my own beautiful clothes, and make a great dinner (most nights) that I eat with my family!

I too have never got credit. If it came to hard times I would ask my family for a loan, but for now, we live on what we have. Our teleision blew up recently. We couldn't afford a new one, so saved a little over months and got a new one.

Nannyogg, in terms of signs, symbols and dreams.

My opinion is that these are just your subconcious, loading meaning into things that you would normally not even register.
Say for example, you were desperately trying to get pregnant ,you will suddenly notice pregnant ladies everywhere, and things friends say will suddenly sound loaded with meaning that really affects you.

Or if you even slightly suspect your husband is having an afair, your mind will make you register, say, couples in a bar or restaurant where it is obvious that it is happening. And you will have dreams about it, beacuase it is laying on your mind. It is all about higher consiouness imo, and the only times we really tap into it are at times when we are threatened.

That's what I meant really - the subconcious tapping into things that are there but that your every day conciousness doesn't pick up on.

When I said they could heal the mind I guess I meant broadly speaking they can help you to recognise things that are happening at a deeper or different level, it just amazes me that sometimes you can remember a dream and realise you were thinking about something you didn't know you were thinking about (if that makes sense)..

bumping this, in the hope more people will answer.

I'm not a practising Christian in any sense, but I believe in the good sense behind the Christian message.

I am much more driven to achieve peace and harmony with those around me than power and dominance over those around me. Though I recognise that the desire for power and dominance have driven many of mankind's most important achievements and is a necessary fact of life for survival. I think we need lots of sorts of people in this world and that many people do good in different ways.

Spending more peaceful, reflective times with family and in nature is a very high priority for me. I am not in awe to the work-very-hard spend-very-hard culture. I don't want to spoil the planet. Humans need housing, but it shouldn't deface the earth. I don't consume manufactured goods unless I have to and I choose very carefully. I don't buy many "consumables" - I like to wear things out before replacing them.

Very difficult, too much to say but would bore everyone!

I am an aetheist, but used to be a Catholic, and alot of the moral beliefs i had then have carried through into my current way of thinking. I used to think about it alot more but i am content now and no longer question myself (well, only very rarely).

I have no credit either, and no debts, which is making life very hard at the mo. I have no car and don't go on holidays...not just cos i can't afford it but also the environmental impact. I like to feel in touch with nature although with no transport and living in a town, it's not so easy to do!

I notice the people passing me in the street and when they look sad or angry i wonder what must be making them so. When ppl are helpful or polite it brightens both our days, and just when someone is happy it's nice that they can share that feeling with others around them. I try to myself!

At the moment i am trying to change the lives of my family and i, as this is most important to me. I care about the myriads of problems in the world but don't think throwing money at them is a solution, so mostly, how can i help?

Money is something you think more about when you haven't got it, or when you live in a society in which it looks like everyonehas something you haven't.

I hope i'm not sounding too bitter here!