TRUE ACROSS ALL WORLDVIEWS - THINKING LONGER AND HARDER

If we think, we seem to have a Worldview. Everyone else seems to have a different, yet unique, Worldview. 

From the point of view of wanting to sell someone something, we might be interested in what would appeal to as many people (worldviews) as possible. This is the basis of much sales advice. I usually find these sales tips irritating because I think, that if you have common sense, they are self-evident. But if you haven't been exposed to these thoughts before, this kind of advice may be very valuable.

As an Internet Marketing Expert, I believe you can use modern techniques to appeal to specific worldviews in a timely manner and thus be more effective. However, let's think a little more about trying to appeal to all worldviews.

We think most of our lives. Exceptions may be before we have any brain cells (neurons) or before connections form between these neurons. Unless a disease destroys these cells or connections, our unique worldview will continue. It is unlikely that even localized strokes can extinguish the most basic part of our worldview, our personalities.

You can see proof of the continuity of worldviews by observing people. It is likely we start to think even before we are born. When we learn to speak, the first thing we do is let the world know our worldview. In fact, as soon as we learn to cry, we let the world know our worldview. At this point, our worldview is pretty self-centered.

Fortunately, when we are young, our worldview can be changed more easily. The part of our worldview that people call our personality may appear very early. Much of our worldview changes can be attributed to us learning that it is not always wise to let others know our opinions - it is better if others don't think we are so self-centered.

If you visit a long time acquaintance, a ninety five year old resident in an assisted living home, he may have a hard time hearing you. He may have a hard time moving around. He may even be depressed while before he was cheerful. But when you talk to him, you will probably find that his worldview, what he thinks is good, what he thinks is bad, will not have changed in forty years. If your worldview has not changed significantly, you will find him just as smart or just as dumb as he was decades ago.

Maybe all worldviews are at some level self-centered. This would make sense from a survival standpoint. In this case, Dale Carnegie's advice "Talk in terms of the other person's interests" should have appeal across all worldviews.

If we believe that our worldview is associated with our neurons and how they are connected, we should take a closer look. A group of neurons connected together is called a neural network. I think this is a very important subject.

In the nineteenth century, Charles Darwin introduced the concept of “the survival of the fittest”. This might be interpreted to mean that if you have traits that make you less likely to survive, you will not live long enough to pass these traits to the next generation. On the other hand, if you have “good” traits, the next generation will inherit these traits.

Suppose 10,000 years ago, a young boy is exploring his surroundings. If he lives, he will grow up to be what we call a Caveman. His curiosity, a product of his neural network, is useful. He has learned where the best berries can be found, how to leave and return to his cave, where he can get water, and has begun to learn how to hunt after carefully watching his father. In relation to hunting, he now knows where small game
is likely to be found. He has, mostly unemotionally, categorized more and more useful information.

One day, apparently like any other, he goes to the stream to get
water. Suddenly, a lion appears from nowhere and pounces, one of his claws cutting into the boy's heel. Luckily, the boy falls backwards into the stream which is swollen from a recent storm. He is rapidly pull from danger. It also helped that cats hate water.

The boy doesn't remember pulling himself from the water downstream. He doesn't stop shaking for an hour. The first thing he notices he is using a leaf to spread mud on his heel. The bleeding seems to slowing. The trip home is longer than usual - he has been washed a long way downstream. With every turn in the trail, he fears he will find the lion, and the lion will find him. Finally safe in his cave, he remembers his mother told him to be careful around the stream. Lions and other dangerous animals could be hiding near by.

When the boy becomes an old caveman, he still has a scar on his heel. And he remembers every moment of that horrible day. After that day, he is always a little less carefree, a little more aware of dangers.

Could fear and other intense emotions change worldviews and cement memories? 

Remember our imaginary trip across the country toward the future and toward today at the west coast metal pole? We need to return to the first third of our journey and continue looking closely at that time period. But first a couple of notes: (1) During the second third of our journey, as we traveled from St. Louis to somewhere in New Mexico, many kinds of multi-cellular organisms developed. Some could even be seen and left fossils. Cold temperatures during most of this time may have slowed the development of life; (2) We might have seen the old caveman when we were within 100 feet of our destination, the west coast metal pole.

If you are a sales professional talking to a prospect, chances are he was not almost eaten by a lion when he was a boy. Your prospect, however, has had many unpleasant encounters with salesmen. He may be thirsty for what you have to offer, but you don't want to be the lion at the river. You want to be your prospect's friend.