Reading about meaning and worldviews in Chapter 2 made me think about how my own meaning system was formed. I was not raised in any religion, and whenever we were talking to my parents about what happens after you die, they would tell us that nothing happens- you die and that’s it. If something bad happened, no meaning was applied to it- other than if there was something that could have been avoided by making a better choice. My parents do not believe in any higher power, and my mom would harshly dismiss any idea of a “God” or of things happening for a reason. My parents are also not ones to question the meanings of life, because, as they would say, who cares?
Although my parents instilled in us that life and the events that happen within it have no higher meaning, that in of itself is their worldview/ system of meaning. The purpose of their everyday actions is to improve their own lives and the lives of their children. The meaning/ purpose of my life, I think, is to maximize my happiness while I am alive. I do not really believe anything will happen after death, so most of the choices that I make are to make the time that I am alive the best it can be. As “all meaning systems are based on an intersection of self and social group,” I have developed a slightly different worldview than my family, which have not only come from within myself but also from different social groups, such as my friends (McGuire 31). Talking to friends growing up and participating in discussions in school caused me to question different meanings in the world instead of on impulse dismissing these topics as pointless to talk or think about.