Weltanschauung is a German word that directly translates to world perception. This deals with philosophic, moral and religious conclusions such as those about economics and the origins of the universe. But is our weltanschauung truly ours?

We may not realize it, but other people affect our world view and the things we do. For instance, we think we buy the clothes we wear for ourselves because we like them, when in reality we buy them thinking about how others will see us in the clothes and whether or not they will like them. If the clothes were truly for us, why would we need a mirror? Plus, our actions are influenced greatly by others through lifelong experiences like peer pressure and bullying.

Moreover, if what other people thought didn’t matter so much that it affected our world perception we would all be a lot freer and less socially acceptable.

However, if we didn’t worry about what other people thought, would social acceptance be an issue? The root of social acceptance is in the thought, “I don’t want to be associated with you because other people will see that I’m associated with you.” Some people certainly do seem to have broken away from society’s bounds of what is socially acceptable. For instance, in the late ‘80s the countercultural grunge movement began to feature unkempt looks of long hair, thrift store ripped jeans, Doc Martens, oversized knit sweaters and white t-shirts, long droopy skirts, ripped tights, Birkenstocks and eco-friendly clothing.

While the members of this movement accepted one another, others definitely thought they were a bit kooky and socially unacceptable. It is not realistic for the whole world to stop worrying about what other people think. The truth is, it is human nature to morph together in groups to collectively build weltanschauungs. This is a natural way that humans bond and socialize.

All in all, each person’s unique lens is filtered by the opinions of others, some black and white and some bleached and some shadowed and some brightened. I believe it is important to recognize this and think about who you surround yourself with. Make sure that these people are good role models who bring out your best, because you will end up eventually sharing some of their perceptions and aiming to please them. We as human beings will never have full power over our own weltanschauung, but we do get to choose those who help to bring the lens into focus.