My Worldview

I have always known that I look at the world a little differently then the people around me. My great grandmother on my mother's side was half Cherokee, and my grandmother instilled in me those views. The first time I saw Pocahontas I was spending the afternoon with my grandmother, which I often did during the summer. I was about seven years old, and as I watched the movie I also listened to my grandmother's side comments. She believed that we would all have been a lot better off if Pocahontas had never saved John Smith. And by all I mean the Native Americans that she identified with. After that first time watching Pocahontas I never watched it again. Instead I chose the Caucasian princess movies that did not make my grandmother quite so cranky.

The simple act of my grandmother sharing her views about the movie with me shaped my worldview. When I look at a situation or a piece of folklore I identify with my Native American and Mexican ancestry.

My personal folklore expresses my worldview, because I learned both of them from my family. My worldview is based on my culture, and I learned about my culture from my parents and grandparents. Since my folklore came from the same place as my cultural identity it is easy to see the connection.

The traditional dishes that my grandmother used to cook for me were made with cheap ingredients, because in Mexico that is all her ancestors could afford. Whatever was on hand was what went into the pot. My worldview helps me to understand this and has caused me to hate it when people waste food. Some people without my worldview might have a different understanding of my folklore. Although I know most American children have heard some version of "there are starving children in 3rd world countries that would love to have the food you are wasting".