The World Askew

Nobody sees the world as it actually is. This can be a good thing or bad thing from time to time, but typically it is just simply a fact. Even realists, as they call themselves, see it in a skewed way.

This sounds worse than it actually is. But take the "typical" person (in our culture, of course). They view the world centered around their family and close friends, as well as around their job and possessions. This provides the center for their view of the world, and most things in it. For example, if all of your friends think that Obama is great, or that Obama is horrible, then you're likely to think the same thing, or be swayed towards that opinion. You might not completely agree with them, but their opinion, because they matter to you, will have some affect on your thought process, moderating it slightly. Not always of course, but the less important the issue, the more likely you are to be moved on it.

Now, political matters are more difficult to determine the truth about until well after it's all done and over. Other things, however, are easier to determine. Pollution for example. Everyone knows that pollution is bad. It hurts the environment, which can in return hurt our planet on a larger scale and hurt ourselves. Littering is a lesser form, but still, it's not good to throw plastic bottles into the ditch. But if your friends all do it, you're likely to start changing and do it from time to time yourself, or think it's not a problem. If you're lucky, you might change their opinion, but the majority has the bigger influence usually.

This is all well and good, and shows that the skew can change, but I've strayed from my original point. Everyone sees the world in relation to themselves and the world around them. Americans typically think that they are the best at everything, and that their opinion matters more than anyone else's. Anyone else's opinions are not often seen to matter. Few people into account that, for example, there are far more people in China than in the US. I have had conversations with people who completely assume that the US is right about every single thing, never makes mistakes, and believes that English (namely the American dialect) should be the language of the entire planet. I have nothing against the US. I like living here. But we are not perfect, and we have, and will continue to make mistakes. Everyone does. But I am also willing to admit that the form of government we have now will not last forever. Nothing does. There is not a single government on our planet that has survived intact from its original form. Some of the most successful ones were the Roman Empire and the Chinese Empire. Some things last for a very long time. But at some point, everything has to change, and its for the better. As for the language issue, if you wanted to be democratic about it (which Americans have trouble arguing against on anything), then Mandarin would be the planetary language (unless I'm mistaken about which the most people speak). Actually, despite my enjoying English, almost any language would be a better choice for ease of learning. Then there's the whole Imperial/Metric issue.

These are just some of the bigger examples of seeing the world in a skewed way. There are plenty more small ones, which each of us see in our own way. Everything from issues to other people are seen from perspectives, with subconscious weights attached to everything. On the bright side though, even if our lives aren't very important, we can think they are and be happy with that. I know I'm utterly unimportant to the world at large. But I don't intend to go anywhere, and I try to do the best I can while I'm here. Besides, I might not matter to the planet, but I matter to individuals. And I like individuals more than groups any day.