When I studied political science at university, I discovered the wonderful word, “Weltanschauung.” The English language does not have an exact equivalent so you will sometimes see people using the German word instead. “Weltanschauung” means the way we see the world, the people in it and how we think it all works. It is our individual “World View,” which includes our philosophy, beliefs, map and model.
Right from birth, we begin developing our World View. We do this automatically because that inclination is hot-wired within us, developed to increase our odds of survival. Other inclinations are hot-wired too. For example, children nearly always blame themselves for anything that happens to them. There is a good reason why children innately take responsibility for keeping potentially big dangerous adults happy. That reason is survival.
Earlier in evolution, little ones who were difficult and refused to submit were eliminated, probably by angry adults. Only the timid tended to survive to bear offspring. Over generations, the strategy of submission by the young became embedded in our human psyche.
Some hard-wired tendencies are there at birth, but much of our Word View, is constructed. As we grow, we see, hear, read and experience a great deal. Some of that affects us, and is imprinted into our psychological map of the world. This is mostly an unconscious process, especially during our early years.
Being in a vulnerable human body, our highest priority is safety. To navigate the physical world, we need to know where to go and what to do. As we grow in independence, our World View guides our decisions. Do we turn left or right or go straight ahead? Do we accept what is happening or resist it? Do we believe what we are told or reject it? We make thousands of decisions each day and the outcome of our decisions influences our World View.
Is our World View reliable or does it let us down? Is it a true reflection of the world or is it flawed? The quality of our life is greatly influenced by the quality of our World View.
Feeling disappointed, shocked, or betrayed by someone or some trauma means our expectations, informed by our World View, were not met. Consequently, our World View needs adjusting. Although we will never have a perfect World View, we can keep improving it to better reflect reality.
How does changing our World View play out. Here is a general example:
John of God
Several people who have come to see me over the years told me they travelled to Brazil to see John of God. He was so renowned as a faith healer that even Oprah paid him a visit—with her film crew of course.
After their visit, my clients said they believed in his ability to heal. Unfortunately, John of God was not all that he presented.
Rumours about sexual abuse by John of God were around for over a decade, but the women he abused said little, being afraid of his reputation and concerned that they would not be believed. Some also felt intimidated by his armed henchmen.
Eventually, the #MeToo movement proved too potent, and the truth emerged. Over 600 complaints were eventually made, and the overwhelming evidence suggested that he had been sexually abusing women for decades. In 2020, John of God, now 80 years old, was sentenced to 64 years in prison for sexual crimes.
To understand the seriousness of his crimes one young woman’s experience stands out. John of God had “operated” upon this girl’s mother who had cancer. Telling the daughter that she had psychic gifts, he invited her into his private room. Once there, he raped her. Each time she cried, he insisted she comply. If she didn’t, he said, her mother would die. Confused and afraid, she believed that if she did not submit, all responsibility for her mother’s death would be hers.
This woman is one of several who share their experience in Netflix’s four-part series, John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer.
Many of the thousands of people who went to see him over the years must now be wondering who this man really was. Many had called him a saint, and some found their illness had abated.
My clients and others who believed in the power of this man have been shocked at this revelation of abuse. Now they need to make sense of it. Some might decide he was a blessing to them regardless of any transgressions. Others may change their mind and be more cautious about believing in healers like John of God. In whatever way they explain his behaviour, they are adjusting their World View to account for the conflict between his healings and his crimes.
Being forced to account for the realities we face in life helps us grow in wisdom. Bit by bit, we expand our innate map of the world, becoming more discerning and making better decisions.
Once we have a grounded sense of reality, our expectations and decisions are better informed. Because we are more discerning, we suffer fewer disturbances and more peace.
As we grow, we see the role our beliefs play in creating our reality. From that base of wisdom and self-trust, we can begin a new journey of deliberately manifesting our desires.
For more information on manifesting, click HERE.
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