What DID most shake your world view? - Page 2 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Getao · 02-03-2004, 07:42 PM

When I decided that I would become a dedicated Unitarian Universalist... changed so much of my views on life and the world.

Battling depression shook up everything.

Smimpinj · 02-19-2004, 10:50 PM

I believe I have two that would qualify for this situation.

The first being wjen I realised I can't care about tragic situations in the news no matter how disgusting or tragic i really feel unnafected. I am just so incredibly desensitized unless I have made an emotional commtiment to something involved in the story. The last thing I remember affecting me was when a mother sold her twelve year old daughter for sex to a forty year old man and watched it happen. It reviled me but stories involving death and chaos I do not care about. I realise the tragedy and disgust that occurs with it.

My second is a near death experience. It's just so shocking to realise you actually are mortal. It is a real eye opener to realise that if you had dided there would be so many things unexperienced. It would be all wasted by one single twist of fate. It was a boat crash by the way. Near head on collision. I had a retainer at the time and it pierced through my lower lip resulting in a very annoying qwirk to my smile.

Charlatan · 02-20-2004, 07:18 AM

The most profound experience that shook my world view took place in a pub in Ottawa...

A good friend and I were drinking coffee after coffee and talking long into the night as we frequently did. We got onto the topic of space and how space travel is actually accomplished (he was an amateur astronomer when he was a kid).

As we talk more and delved into how planets react to each other and so on... my mind suddenly went... SNAP!

For the first time ever I had the overwhelming realization of just how small and insignificant I was (let alone our planet or solar system) in the grand scheme of things. The words I am using to desicribe this cannot grasp the moment and the feelings I went through at the time.

It did two things. It gave me a sense of insignificance in the face if the vast, vertiginous expanse of the universe but it also did the opposite. It made me realize that life is a wonder to be enjoyed and savoured. That petty things that bother me from day to day are just that... petty. I am small they are smaller. I'm not sure if that makes sense to others but sure makes sense to me.

I lose sight of this from time to time but when every I remember that moment I take comfort.

Cynthetiq · 02-20-2004, 07:24 AM

I have too many epiphanies to list.

each event that shook my world taught me some valuable lessons or at least reminded me of "the mission"

Xell101 · 02-20-2004, 09:52 PM

That people believed in god. My entire view of how humans work together was completely destroyed by that, luckily I was 5 and it didn't have much to shake, but I viewed it then as a utility tool of society and now I still hold that same view, it's just got a lot more content behind it now.

Jay Francis · 02-23-2004, 07:52 PM

The whole era of the Vietnam war. I think most kids grew up assuming that if an adult said it, it was gospel. The Vietnam War, for my generation, caused my friends and I to realize that adults lie, or are clueless, and couldn't be depended upon.

Date the Banana · 02-23-2004, 09:33 PM

I'd have to say the that day my best friend of about ten years, best of buddies since elementary school and all that hallmark crap, looked at me and told me, to my face, that I was going to hell. Not believing in hell, his statement didn't really bother me to much, but it was the first time that I realized that my "normal" world view might not have been so normal after all. Still friends with the guy, but he weirds me out a little. I mean...he doesn't believe in dinosaurs, and _I'm_ the strange one?

Mephex · 02-23-2004, 09:41 PM

The day I watched my father die. The day I truly felt mortal, and realized that we are all here for such a short, undetermined amount of time.

That's all it took to shake my world.

Anomaly77 · 03-02-2004, 07:51 PM

July of '94...
A night out with friends, went out for pizza and a drive into the country; a car accident that could have taken any/all of our lives.
Eleven shards of glass that cut through my right arm but missed all the nerves; severe head trauma and short-term memory loss that I completely recovered from; three inflamed discs in my neck that cause me pain but no impairment; two days of being unconscience, my family not knowing if I'd live and how much damage had been done. Ten years later...having NO memory of the most significant and life-altering experience of my life.

scrappmittens · 03-02-2004, 09:42 PM

My car accident, where I was lucky enough to come out alive, only with a missing ear.

tiberry · 03-04-2004, 03:15 AM

The realization and the acceptance that I am in complete control of everything.

Not long ago, I finally came to understand that I am in complete control of everything, and I do mean everything, that happens in my life.

It shook me to my core to finally understand that I and I alone am responsible for all of this...

JohnnyRoyale · 03-05-2004, 07:56 PM

Things that have shaken my world view:

1. The death of my grandfather. My mother's father, it was a fairly big news item in the local media, since he was a local judge, and doctor for the poor & kids. It made me realize that life can end, no matter how much you do, but the more good you do, the more you're missed.

2. Once night, my friends and I were on our way to a Harkin for President rally in new hampshire. We were on a mountain road, and it was snowing, and the car swerved, into oncoming traffic. we his an oncoming car, which SAVED our lives, since the next stop was 150 feet down the other side of the road, down the mountain. To this day, the bizzare irony of getting saved by being in a car accident hasn't been lost on me, but at the same time, the fact that I did survive kinda left me with a "what your doing os ok" kind of vibe thing....don't know if it's a good thing, or maybe I should ahd a more "every day is the last day of your life" kind of vibe, but, that's all I got of it.

Conclamo Ludus · 03-05-2004, 08:19 PM

No longer doing things for other people. Selfishness can actually save people sometimes.

elian gonsalez · 03-06-2004, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rogue49
When I was almost killed.

When I was about 16, my mom & I were driving home from my aunt's
She was driving, I was sitting beside her in the passenger seat.
We were on a back highway of Upstate New York & Connecticut.
It was a beautiful day with sun and no weather.
When I glanced up, and saw something large coming down in the air.
I yelled to my mom to stop
And with a screeching halt, and a slight shift back in my seat.
A two yard long, 6 inch wide branch pierced the car window like a spear.
The branch put a large scratch on my face and made a hole in the seat between my legs.
A split second later I would have been dead...or at least severely maimed.

I kept that branch with me for a year.
It showed me that it can end anytime, with no reason nor rhyme.
No one to blame.

So make the best of it, and experience all you can.
Because sometimes the ride is over.

I had a similiar experienc to this one, result wise. I didnt almost die.. but... it yielded the same results.

I've come to the realization that my life could've been much better, and i've sortof wasted a lot of it. The first time i really stopped denying it was at the doctors office- I was there for having a pretty much constant string of headaches for a week or so, and my doctor basically diagnosed it 2 ways. The first thing that might've been causing them was my diet and my hydration, the second was some disease that was nearly life threatening, something that would most definetely shorten my lifespan greatly. During his explanation of the problem, I actually had the thought that i could now begin living life to the fullest. Its almost like I felt i needed an excuse to live boldly and without constraints. I decided that if i did have this disease, i wouldnt be sad, infact i felt as if it would liberate me into happiness. Odd. This is when i realized how much better life could be, and that i dont need an excuse to live differently. I'm not there yet... but I'm finding my way...

WarWagon · 03-06-2004, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by papermachesatan
Probably losing religion and embracing science and logic.

That, college, and my own cancer scare.

zampolit · 03-09-2004, 07:32 AM

I got hit by a car crossing the street on the way to school. Pretty much eliminated any illusions of immortality I might have had. Made me an existentialist for life.

MarksMan · 03-11-2004, 05:23 PM

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Read it, it will knock your worldview on its ass.

It is an amazing book.

What shaked my world view the most would be when I got incarcerated for 160 days.

02-20-2004, 07:24 AM	#44 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	I have too many epiphanies to list. each event that shook my world taught me some valuable lessons or at least reminded me of "the mission" __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

02-23-2004, 09:33 PM	#47 (permalink)
Date the Banana Insane Location: Japan	I'd have to say the that day my best friend of about ten years, best of buddies since elementary school and all that hallmark crap, looked at me and told me, to my face, that I was going to hell. Not believing in hell, his statement didn't really bother me to much, but it was the first time that I realized that my "normal" world view might not have been so normal after all. Still friends with the guy, but he weirds me out a little. I mean...he doesn't believe in dinosaurs, and _I'm_ the strange one? __________________ all work and no play make Date something something

03-04-2004, 03:15 AM	#51 (permalink)
tiberry Insane Location: Location, Location!	The realization and the acceptance that I am in complete control of everything. Not long ago, I finally came to understand that I am in complete control of everything, and I do mean everything, that happens in my life. It shook me to my core to finally understand that I and I alone am responsible for all of this... __________________ My life's work is to bridge the gap between that which is perceived by the mind and that which is quantifiable by words and numbers. Last edited by tiberry; 03-04-2004 at 03:25 AM..

03-05-2004, 07:56 PM	#52 (permalink)
JohnnyRoyale Psycho Location: Boston, MAss., USA	Things that have shaken my world view: 1. The death of my grandfather. My mother's father, it was a fairly big news item in the local media, since he was a local judge, and doctor for the poor & kids. It made me realize that life can end, no matter how much you do, but the more good you do, the more you're missed. 2. Once night, my friends and I were on our way to a Harkin for President rally in new hampshire. We were on a mountain road, and it was snowing, and the car swerved, into oncoming traffic. we his an oncoming car, which SAVED our lives, since the next stop was 150 feet down the other side of the road, down the mountain. To this day, the bizzare irony of getting saved by being in a car accident hasn't been lost on me, but at the same time, the fact that I did survive kinda left me with a "what your doing os ok" kind of vibe thing....don't know if it's a good thing, or maybe I should ahd a more "every day is the last day of your life" kind of vibe, but, that's all I got of it. __________________ I'm gonna be rich and famous, as soon I invent a device that lets you stab people in the face over the internet.

03-05-2004, 08:19 PM	#53 (permalink)
Conclamo Ludus Modern Man Location: West Michigan	No longer doing things for other people. Selfishness can actually save people sometimes. __________________ Lord, have mercy on my wicked soul I wouldn't mistreat you baby, for my weight in gold. -Son House, Death Letter Blues

02-03-2004, 07:42 PM	#41 (permalink)
Getao Banned Location: Kalamazoo Michigan	When I decided that I would become a dedicated Unitarian Universalist... changed so much of my views on life and the world. Battling depression shook up everything.

02-19-2004, 10:50 PM	#42 (permalink)
Smimpinj Tilted Location: Somewhere, Insignificant	I believe I have two that would qualify for this situation. The first being wjen I realised I can't care about tragic situations in the news no matter how disgusting or tragic i really feel unnafected. I am just so incredibly desensitized unless I have made an emotional commtiment to something involved in the story. The last thing I remember affecting me was when a mother sold her twelve year old daughter for sex to a forty year old man and watched it happen. It reviled me but stories involving death and chaos I do not care about. I realise the tragedy and disgust that occurs with it. My second is a near death experience. It's just so shocking to realise you actually are mortal. It is a real eye opener to realise that if you had dided there would be so many things unexperienced. It would be all wasted by one single twist of fate. It was a boat crash by the way. Near head on collision. I had a retainer at the time and it pierced through my lower lip resulting in a very annoying qwirk to my smile.

02-20-2004, 07:18 AM	#43 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	The most profound experience that shook my world view took place in a pub in Ottawa... A good friend and I were drinking coffee after coffee and talking long into the night as we frequently did. We got onto the topic of space and how space travel is actually accomplished (he was an amateur astronomer when he was a kid). As we talk more and delved into how planets react to each other and so on... my mind suddenly went... SNAP! For the first time ever I had the overwhelming realization of just how small and insignificant I was (let alone our planet or solar system) in the grand scheme of things. The words I am using to desicribe this cannot grasp the moment and the feelings I went through at the time. It did two things. It gave me a sense of insignificance in the face if the vast, vertiginous expanse of the universe but it also did the opposite. It made me realize that life is a wonder to be enjoyed and savoured. That petty things that bother me from day to day are just that... petty. I am small they are smaller. I'm not sure if that makes sense to others but sure makes sense to me. I lose sight of this from time to time but when every I remember that moment I take comfort.

02-20-2004, 09:52 PM	#45 (permalink)
Xell101 Junkie	That people believed in god. My entire view of how humans work together was completely destroyed by that, luckily I was 5 and it didn't have much to shake, but I viewed it then as a utility tool of society and now I still hold that same view, it's just got a lot more content behind it now.

02-23-2004, 07:52 PM	#46 (permalink)
Jay Francis Psycho Location: Houston, Texas	The whole era of the Vietnam war. I think most kids grew up assuming that if an adult said it, it was gospel. The Vietnam War, for my generation, caused my friends and I to realize that adults lie, or are clueless, and couldn't be depended upon.

02-23-2004, 09:41 PM	#48 (permalink)
Mephex Psycho	The day I watched my father die. The day I truly felt mortal, and realized that we are all here for such a short, undetermined amount of time. That's all it took to shake my world.

03-02-2004, 07:51 PM	#49 (permalink)
Anomaly77 Upright Location: USA	July of '94... A night out with friends, went out for pizza and a drive into the country; a car accident that could have taken any/all of our lives. Eleven shards of glass that cut through my right arm but missed all the nerves; severe head trauma and short-term memory loss that I completely recovered from; three inflamed discs in my neck that cause me pain but no impairment; two days of being unconscience, my family not knowing if I'd live and how much damage had been done. Ten years later...having NO memory of the most significant and life-altering experience of my life.

03-02-2004, 09:42 PM	#50 (permalink)
scrappmittens Upright Location: Upstate NY	My car accident, where I was lucky enough to come out alive, only with a missing ear.

03-09-2004, 07:32 AM	#56 (permalink)
zampolit Upright Location: denial	I got hit by a car crossing the street on the way to school. Pretty much eliminated any illusions of immortality I might have had. Made me an existentialist for life. __________________ Nothing is the way things are. -woo woo

03-11-2004, 05:23 PM	#57 (permalink)
MarksMan Upright	Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. Read it, it will knock your worldview on its ass. It is an amazing book. What shaked my world view the most would be when I got incarcerated for 160 days.