The Way We View the World

Recently some of Ryan’s students submitted an essay in which they had to describe their personal worldview. In order to help them understand the way cultures and peoples around the world work, the students spend a good chunk of the semester talking about the deep-seated beliefs and values that make them who they are. Some essays seemed rather humorous to us, others were very interesting, and some were very thought-provoking. We thought we’d share some of their thoughts with you. *Disclaimer: to keep their thoughts and words authentic, we didn't edit their grammatical mistakes.

“About this essay I say about my own worldview. Thank you!”

“I would like to tell you about the meaning of life. For my life is very happy because I’m always a joke with my friends and do something funny.”

“I believe that everything created by nature. Why I dare to say this, is everything established from nature?”

“I normally compare life to all tastes which we has in our food: bitter, salty, sour, sweetie.”

“Once upon a time god was make two people. One is boy and one is girl.”

“A thousand years ago my ancestors eat fresh meat and live in high tree like monkey.”

“Where do life come from? I come from my parents. My parents come from my grandparents. My grandparents come from my great grandparents.”

“From my experience about this worldview (Buddhism), sometime I think it real, but sometime it not. For example, when pray to gods or monks I can received my goal, in contrast it cannot. Sometime it really difficult to understand and to make sure it real or not.”

“Life come from four things: water, land, fire, and air. If we do not have four points we cannot live because no water to drink, no land and fire to live, no air to breathe.”

“People in Cambodia believe in Buddhism because it has evidences like documents and story on the walls.”

“Addiction is become a sin. Why I say sin is because the Buddha or God said do like that is not true.”

“I really wonder how people can live with argument, divorce, hate, love, pity, easy going, and fierce person combination. Maybe the God know that people can think and consider to something they do and happened. Probably people know about limit of nature that the God give to them.”

“People are good from birth. When people was born they don’t know everything, they are like a blank paper. When they are grown up they are good or bad depend on their family or society.”

“The worldview effect in society to educate the people about the world.”

“Do good can get good. Do bad can get bad.”

“Without a worldview a culture could not appear, a society cannot be what it is.”

“I know what is right and wrong through the religion.”

“At the end of our life is death!”

“We don’t know that happen in the future, so we should be good person and change the bad thing.”

“What is the meaning of life? Actually I worry about my life.”

“If I can do good for family, society or people around me, I think I will not regret.”

“No god to create everything in the universe. All humans were existed throughout the natural law.”

“When people get marriage they meet and happy, but in the future they will die. That time is sad and separate. The name, job, sound, and bodies are disappeared forever.”

“My family believes in Buddhism, however, even if they believe in Buddha, the way they act is different from what they believe.”

“I believe that I am here today for a reason.”