Welt·an·schau·ung /ˈveltˌänˌSHouəNG/Noun
A person’s or a group’s conception, philosophy or view of the world; a worldview.
Preface: I wrote the following in hopes that I would publish another book. My first book, Frost Flowers, was self-published and it cost me north of five grand for the effort. So you won’t be holding my next book in the palm of your hand but I hope the words I share find a home with you. Please read the following with that in mind. Cheers!
Here goes…
Whether you’re holding the real thing nestled in the palm of your hand or reading it on your tablet, I want to welcome you to my neck of the woods. But, before you head down the path, l would like to give you some idea of what you will and won’t find along the way.
First, this isn’t a political manifesto. I hope to encourage thoughtful introspection, maybe cause a head nod or a chuckle or two, but not add more oxygen to the already burning fire of division. In my younger days, I was deeply involved in politics but have soured on it in more recent years. When one relishes in another’s failure, that becomes a zero-sum game. The schadenfreude oozes from the politicians and talking heads. I have learned to appreciate Henry David Thoreau’s words from his essay Walking, in which he wrote, “In one half hour I can walk off to some portion of the earth’s surface where a man does not stand from one year’s end to another, and there, consequently, politics are not, for they are but as the cigar-smoke of a man.” I routinely follow Thoreau’s advice and find those untrodden places. So no politics.
Second, it isn’t a religious treatise. I will leave that up to the theologians, evangelists, and zealots. You may read “Changes” and think this is a bit hypocritical for me to say but read it for what it is. It simply reflects on where I find my own spiritual connection, not where you find yours. Religion has become somewhat like politics-you better believe my way or at best you’re a heretic and at worse you will burn in hell. Stephen Crane’s short verse sums it up nicely:
“Think as I think,” said a man”
or you are abominably wicked,
You are a toad.”
And after I thought of it,
I said: “I will then, be a toad.”
– Stephen Crane
You will find words from the Bible, the Buddha, Taoist sages, Zen masters, and other spiritual mentors. These are used to call attention to various aspects of nature and life and are not intended to espouse any particular theology. How you spend your Sundays and what you believe is up to you.
Before I go much further, let me share a little background and a couple more thoughts. This book really got its start at 12:35 A.M. on June 16, 1959. A little spank on the butt by Doctor Wissman and I opened my eyes to the world. Since then, it has been one hell of a journey. I often think about the twists and turns of fate along the way. What if I was not my parent’s son? What if I had married someone else? What if I had taken a different job after college? What if I had not met this or that person? What if I hadn’t become a father? What if I had taken a different fork in the road? What if? What if? Life sometimes feels like a board game where you roll a dice and move your token down a path until suddenly you are sent in an entirely different direction. A chance meeting, a life crisis, a new friendship, the end of an old one, the loss of a job, each can propel you down a different and often unexpected path. For me, all the what ifs are an academic exercise at this point and I really don’t want any do overs. My path is what it is and all the twists and turns have helped shape my view of the world.
Weltanschauung is a German word that describes one’s particular philosophy or view of life. Literally translated it means worldview. I have always felt that it best encapsulates my own search for meaning in my life within both a spiritual and secular context. This search has taken me down many paths, the occasional dead end, and down more than one rabbit hole. Yet, I am still a seeker and I suppose I always will be. One more page, one more experience, one more fork in the road, one more roll of the dice. Does the answer to the questions of life lie around the next bend? Why am I here? What is the meaning of my existence? What will I leave behind? This book is intended to give you a peek into my messy world.
The source for much of the material came from the journals that I have kept since my college days. I have always found keeping a journal to be very therapeutic. My go to journal is a Moleskine 3 ½” x 5 ½” black hardcover book-anything else just wouldn’t work. They are well-crafted and fit nicely in my pocket or in my backpack.
I reread each of my journals and from them pulled thoughts, opinions, frustrations, complaints, etc. (I had forgotten, or at least pushed it deep in the recesses of my subconscious mind, how much I loathed my 8:00 to 5:00 career). I have placed these reflections into one of six broad themes – Life, Nature, Growing Old, Deeper Thoughts, Annoyances, and Society and Solitude.
I have also included a number of maxims that I have jotted down over the years. I have found they often prod me into deeper thought. I have specifically chosen those whose author is deceased, or as I call them, my dead people quotes. You will also note a significant number of quotes from Thoreau. He stands alone among secular authors in the influence his writings have had on my Weltanschauung.
Finally, I close with a glossary of sorts. It includes words that have caught my eye and a few idioms that were used around the quarters I frequented in my youth and into adulthood. Language, as Virginia Woolf said, is wine upon the lips. Growing up, we were taught that your words were serious business. They weren’t to be cast about frivolously. When you said something, it had meaning and you’d better have given it a lot of thought before you opened your mouth. Words spoken hastily or in anger had consequences, often worse than expected.
Miss Nay, my sixth grade teacher, had a sign on her desk that said, “Make sure your brain is engaged before putting your mouth into gear.” Methinks we could use a little more brains and a few less words these days. We were also taught that if you didn’t have something good to say then it was best left unsaid. You were judged by both words and deeds. Words without deeds were hot air, or as it was often called, bullshit. When your words and deeds came together you could astound many of those around you.
Finally, my apologies for the many observations I have made in the first person. As Thoreau said, in Walden, “I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well.” I know myself better than anybody I know. It would frighten me to no end if I knew another as well. I hope just a few of the words that follow give you pause, make you laugh, and perhaps, cause you to search a little deeper into your own marrow of life. Maybe you will be compelled to think a little more about your own Weltanschauung.