Thie past week and, indeed, the past few weeks have been described as historic. The global financial collapse and the presidential election are at the center of our attention.
What I find interesting about myself is my unawareness of historic events. I have commented on this in the past. Now having the time as well as a different perspective on life, I have come to realize that for much of my life I lived oblivious to important and historic events going on around me. This unawareness extended in all directions, from world impacting events to personal historic events. Most recently I watched American Experience about Lyndon B. Johnson. I was struck by the truly historic events during his time as president and how little I was aware of them.
The question for me is: Why? Why was so oblivious? Why am I now more aware?
Rob Bell shed some light for me on the why in two recent lessons from Philippians. Beware the Dawgs! and Blocks and Boards . In part, he talks about the lens through which we view ourselves and the world around us. He describes three lens or worldviews that characterize our human experience: egocentric, ethnocentric and worldcentric. Life viewed through an egocentic lens is all about self. Everything is seen and judged by what is best for me. Life viewed through an ethnocentric lens is all about the tribe to which we belong. Everything is measured by the norms and rules of our tribe and what will best preserve and protect the tribe. Worldcentric is a view that encompasses all the world around us. With this view we are able judge and act in ways that are in the best interest of all, not just our self or our particular tribe.
Today, I am more aware because the lens through which I see the world around me is changing. I believe the reason for my unawareness of past events, both world and personal, was because I was seeing through egocentric and ethnocentric lens. A significant aspect of my journey and transformation has been a slow but certain shift toward a worldcentric lens. This shift has come, not because I understood the need for a worldcentric view, but comes as a natural result of the transforming work of the Holy Spirit within.