Recognizing Differences InContext and Perception

WorldView is the perceptual or experiential framework by which individuals “construct,” interpret and make sense of the world. Central to a WorldView is a set of operating assumptions (or beliefs) about what is possible to experience, the nature of experience, the basis of value and what it all means. We call these “operating” assumptions because they are evidenced or indicated by actions and undirected responses. Over time, we become aware of the operating assumptions (of our life), which manifests the possibility they can be changed. The more internal discrimination we experience, the more conscious we become. This increasing sophistication, in response to our experience, generally increases the awareness of our creative nature. We learn what we best contribute, and it flows. In other words, greater consciousness provides greater awareness, more perceptual tools and expanded choices. And as a person’s consciousness grows, they have an ever-deepening connection to Life, Light and Love.

Our WorldView provides a set of beliefs that guide the interpretation of our experiences. It is how we interpret reality to form an accepted framework of inner relationships that simplifies the understanding of our situation. A belief is, essentially, an idea that reinforces our overall sense of safety and security, or makes it easier to deal with what we know. Usually a belief is based on a known experience that has crystallized into a predictable meaning and keeps us from questioning it on a larger level. Beliefs are thoughts we commonly use to reinforce our idea of what should happen in a situation. They prevent us from deepening our understanding beyond what we already know. Beliefs are actually crutches that keep us from examining our reality in each moment. It is useful to notice that many beliefs reflect our past, which we now try to project on the current circumstances (when in fact they may not relate). As we come to realize we can engage current circumstances in the moment, we become more effective at relating to the world.

Our perceptual stage (given our WorldView) represents the context in which we relate to the world of people, ideas and things. It focuses attention on a group of lessons, leading us down a path of natural development that facilitates our growth and allows us to expand our viewpoint. Everyone moves through the stages more or less sequentially. If the lesson is learned, we move on to the next stage. If we do not learn the limits of the stage, and become attached to the lesson, we stop our overall development. Instead, we begin focusing piece by piece on smaller parts of the lesson in order to let go of the attachment. When we become conscious of this process, we can accelerate our growth enormously. It allows us to identify where we may not be accepting ourselves fully, or are operating from a less evolved perceptivity.

WorldView reflects the complexity of the lessons we engage in the universe. The more we see and accept the different WorldView levels of people around us, the more effective we will be in supporting them. Whenever we talk to someone who has a lower worldview than ours, we have to recalibrate what we are saying to the level they are able to engage, or they won’t understand us. It does not matter how many times we try to tell them what they are doing; they cannot hear what we are saying. Sometimes, individuals we love and who love us, can temporarily operate in alignment with us if they are in our presence for a considerable period of time. While they may be able to understand us for this period, when they leave our presence, they start to revert to their previous perceptions. This results in forgetting the details of what occurred (when in our presence).