How to change your world

We as individuals are not in a position to change the objective world, i.e. the world as it is. What we can change, however, is the subjective world, i.e. the world as we see it. This may sound like a sad compromise, but it is a much more powerful gift than we might think. After all, although we interact with the real world on a daily basis, its effects on us arise exclusively from our view of it. 

The first time I came to this realization was when I was studying Stoicism. The Stoics, and Marcus Aurelius in particular, pointed to the fact that although we cannot control the entire world, we can control ourselves. Being master of oneself may sound banal, but once you have practiced this gift or virtue extensively, you realize that there is nothing in the world that can take you down. Of course, I'm not saying that nothing ever upsets me or that I can weather every storm in life without a care in the world. But in my opinion, this is because I have not yet mastered being the master of myself. However, I dare say that I have developed this skill to such an extent that I can lead a good life.

After this initial contact with the fact that we can only change our inside but not our outside, I was inevitably preoccupied with thoughts such as: Have others noticed how well you can feel when you have your thoughts under control? What do other people's world views look like? Do I have a healthy world view? How changeable is your own world view? What could the world look like if I continue to work on myself? And so on. 

One of the most interesting thoughts I had in this regard came to me while looking at random images that are displayed when you start a Google Chromecast stick. These images are often satellite images of regions or cities. It was a bit of fun for me to see if I could guess where in the world this city or area might be. But then it made Click in my head and I began to ask myself how different professional groups would see these images. 

For example, how would an urban planner see these satellite images of cities? Would he think that the main streets are too small, that more parks should have been planned, that the orientation of the houses could be better chosen and so on? Or how an architect would react if he saw a picture of a house, how a cartographer would react if he saw a coastline from above. 

Of course, everyone sees the same image, but what it does to you and how it is perceived by your brain differs greatly from person to person. As an amateur philosopher, I am of course aware that it doesn't necessarily make things more beautiful if we look at them with as much expertise as possible. A picturesque sunset with a few clouds in the sky is impressive not only to the trained meteorologist, but to almost everyone. But there's no denying that a certain amount of training makes things more interesting and helps us to see more. Details to perceive. Just as a musician can take much more from a song than someone who has no idea about music.

So if we want to change our world view, it is essential to broaden our own horizons. In a previous blog articles I already explained why we should never stop learning throughout our lives. In relation to today's article, this is made clear once again, because if we want to improve or at least change our world view, it is essential that we are constantly learning new things.

It is also important to note that you don't have to become an urban planner, architect or cartographer. Every little bit of new knowledge helps to make our view of the world a little more detailed. 

What is your opinion on this topic? Have you noticed anything similar or what has permanently changed your world view? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.