My Worldview and Its Foundations – Free Essay Example

What is a worldview? As the word itself suggests, a worldview is an overall view of the world. It’s not a physical view of the world, but rather a philosophical view, abroad perspective on everything that exists and matters to us. A person’s worldview represents his most fundamental beliefs and assumptions about the universe he inhabits. It reflects how he would answer all the ‘big questions’ of human existence: fundamental questions about who and what we are, where we came from, why we’re here, where we’re headed, the meaning and purpose of life, the nature of the afterlife, and what counts as a good life here and now. That being said, I am a Christian, meaning that I believe that a monotheistic God created the universe and that His Son died for my sins. The three foundations of my worldview are: I was raised in a Cuban-American culture, I have been homeschooled for most of my life, and I have been raised in the Christian church.

Once communism began to fully effect Cuba, my grandparents, from both sides of my family, knew they needed to leave to thrive as a family. They fled from the toxic grasp of the infamous dictator, Fidel Castro, and decided to start a new life as immigrants in the United States of America. On my father’s side, my abuelo Chirichi worked by restocking the inventory of Sea World’s vending machines. Of course, he wasn’t able to make much money, but he always made sure that food was on the table. On my mother’s side, both my abuelo and abuela worked very hard, my abuelo became a very successful handyman, capable of fixing almost everything, and my abuela became an assistant to an accounting firm. They both made sure that their family’s lives were comfortable and full of happy memories. My mother grew up to be an elementary and high-school teacher, while very strict, was always very kind. My father grew to be a successful business man in a Fortune 500 company. I was the last to be born in to a family that consisted three older sisters. My family has always prioritized my sibling’s and I wellbeing above anything else, making sure to provide food, clothing, pleasantries and vacations. Honestly, I have been blessed to be born into a wonderful family.

Proper education has always been a necessity in the Dominguez household. In 1995, my mother decided to pull her kids out of public school and homeschool them. Since then, she decided to teach not only her kids, but also tutor others. However, there has been a misconception placed over homeschooling. Many believe that homeschool students sleep in, work in their pajamas, and relax when they want, but they are wrong. While that stereotype may apply to the majority of homeschool students, my mother made it her personal mission to shape me into a responsible student. This included waking up early, making myself breakfast, and a hectic work schedule, not to different from what the average student goes through. My mother did her best to teach me everything she knew and more, but eventually she had to enroll me into online programs for high-school. As a result, I haven’t had many chances to socialize or grow accustomed to rowdy crowds, leading me to develop an introverted personality.

When my grandparents arrived in the United States of America, they brought a bit of Cuba religion with them. My family on my mother’s side was originally Roman Catholic. They believed in God, but they weren’t whole-heartedly dedicated. However, they were eventually converted into Christianity, which ultimately boosted their spiritual search for truth. Then Christianity became the center of our family’s beliefs, and they taught my siblings and I the Christian faith. When I first heard about God in an informative light, I did not have a spiritual breakthrough. I didn’t get it, though I don’t think one would expect a third grader to understand the supposed meaning of life. However, when I would see the beautiful sky, stars, and moon, I would always feel as if everything had been created. As a firm believer of science, I began to compare scientific facts to Christianity. I kept an open mind and as I started to ask questions, I began to understand what it meant to be a Christian. Now, I firmly believe that science actually supports Christianity, rather than oppose it. According to Isaac Newton’s first law, “A body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by an outside force”. Most scientists believe that the universe began to expand over billions of years, but that initial motion of expansion should be impossible due to the fact that an outside force needs to begin said motion. So, what outside force could have begun the expansion of the universe? If supposedly nothing existed before the universe, then what created it? In addition, the law of conservation of mass states, “Matter cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change forms”, which implies that the matter that makes up the universe couldn’t have been naturally created. I believe that God, a being who lives outside the laws of physics and that has always existed, created the universe and everything inside it. I fully identify myself as a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe that all people are flawed, and that, no matter how hard people try, they will always mess up. According to the Bible verse, Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. I believe that no good deeds can outweigh all the bad things that mankind does. In fact, I whole-heartedly believe that the human race lives in a broken world overrun with evil and malice. Romans 6:23 states , “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. I believe that the ultimate price for mankind’s sins is death; however, I also believe that through the sacrifice of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I am made clean in the presence of God. And as a result, I am granted eternal life when I go to heaven.

Worldviews shape and inform our experiences of the world around us. Like spectacles with colored lenses, they affect what we see and how we see it. Depending on the ‘color’ of the lenses, some things may be seen more easily, or conversely, they may be de-emphasized or distorted—indeed, some things may not be seen at all. The foundations of my worldview are being raised in a Cuban-American culture, being homeschooled for most of my life, and being raised in the Christian church. Since my family gave me the opportunity to seek out a personal ‘lens’ of the world, I have a concrete faith in what the Bible says. And as a result, the world around me has become a more beautiful place.