Weltanschauung.

That’s a new word/concept I’m learning about in my Global Religions class this summer semester. It is very similar to our English word/concept of “worldview” but, as my professor explains, it is not the same as it embraces more, it is wider and deeper than just “worldview”. It includes not just an individual, group, or culture’s view of the world, but how that view is determined by generations of lived experiences before them, how they understand their relationship to the universe in terms of their worldview, and that each individual’s worldview is finite. In other words, our worldview is historically conditioned and constantly evolving.

This is an interesting concept to think of in terms of exploring our “rootedness”, and to be honest, I’m still working on wrapping my brain around both things. It’s such a thrill to be a part of a religion in which revelation is continuous and I can keep on exploring how my worldview, my understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos, my Weltanschauung is formed.

I am a lover of stories- from fairytales, myths, and legends, to new children’s storybooks with deep lessons, to the stories of our personal, human experiences. Stories can touch us, teach us, and change us. Stories themselves can change as they flow through time, space, and cultural context. They can be reinterpreted and they can retain their original values and message for hundreds of years. They are the foundation of the formation of Weltanschauung and that is why we tell stories of all kinds during worship.

But what about outside of worship, throughout the week? What kind of stories do you tell? How do you think they shape the perspective of the person you are telling them to? Do they contribute to the greater good?

What I really want us to contemplate is this– the power of stories to shape both our personal and cultural Weltanschauung. We are wrapped up in so much conflict right now. We are banging our heads against the wall trying to make change by presenting facts and data and reason. We are showing outrage, calling people out, shaming people, and pushing people right out of our lives. But what if, more often, instead of voicing our opinions with facts and outrage, we invited people into a nourishing, loving environment in which we tell the stories that can connect us on an emotional level, we go deeper than facts, and we share why something means so much to us. Personal Weltanschauung is a hard thing to change. People are resistant to giving up their identity, their relationships, and their worldview– life as they know and see it. We are, too, of course.

Let us be intentional and compassionate. Tell the stories that can connect, balance, and bring more love to the world. And listen closely to the stories of others that can help to shape you in the ways of love. Be a good ancestor. The Weltanschauung of humanity depends on it.