Worldview

Everything that you have experienced in life affects your worldview: how you were raised, where you attended school, family background, and where you were raised. A kid who grows up in the projects in the South Bronx will view the world differently than a kid who grows up on 67 and 5th avenue in Manhattan. Unfortunately these disparities are ostensible in different aspects of a kid's life especially in education.

Even for kids who grew up similar environments there may may be a significant difference in the way they view the world. A simple example is two childhood friends who were raised on the upper east side in Manhattan but one grew up with an alcoholic father and an abusive mom while another one grew up in a normal single mom household. Our world views will vary based on our circumstances. Another scenario is where two childhood friends are raised in the housing projects: one friend attends a private school and his father takes him to different museums from ages 3-8. The other friend attends a local public school and is raised by a single dad who works two jobs and under his time constraint was not able to take his kid to museums. The kid who attended private schools will view the world as nurturing, full of opportunities and promising. In addition the museums he visited, different activities that he participated in,and the the people he met in school will lead him to be more open minded. On the other hand there is a large possibility that the other boy who was practically raised by himself and was not exposed to a world outside the projects will be more close minded, desolate, and view the world as hopeless, and devoid of opportunities. The richness of diversity is invaluable. Encountering new experiences, seeing new things and meeting people from different ethnic, religious, and/or economic backgrounds broadens a child's scope on life.

In general something as simple as going to the museum and seeing the Egyptian exhibit can change the way you look at your surroundings. In the long run knowing that there is more to this world than the Bronx or the upper east side in Manhattan will revolutionize your view point and will make you better equipped to handle life's challenges. Being open-minded can have a positive impact on the way you relate to people and ultimately provide you with more opportunities. The more extended the social network the more opportunities you will have, its just common law. This will increase your social capital and will put you in a better position to achieve success.