Things just aren't what they seem....

Okay…so we know a person’s worldview is sustained throughout life, and although it may be differently articulated in subtle ways from time to time, a person’s worldview remains the same.

Seems simple enough, yes? The problem with worldview, however, is that we cannot readily name our own worldview, because we can’t get out of our own way long enough to see how we see things! Our worldview can’t stand up to the scrutiny of our own common sense, and even though we have the capacity to grasp what it is (and benefit from the knowledge), we cannot do so on our own.

In terms of Hillary, her worldview will always be things aren’t what they seem (or some subtle variation of that concept), but she would never just say that to us in plain language. What she does instead is communicate her worldview to us through her memories. From the millions and millions of childhood moments she might have remembered, she innocently (as in...without awareness) chooses the ones that clearly say things are not what they seem.

In other words, because memory is never random, Hillary “tells” us her worldview in what she chooses to remember. For example, in the “second look” memory, she relates a situation in which she mistakes turpentine for coke. What appears to be “delicious and refreshing” is actually an organic solvent used for thinning oil-based paints. It can cause renal failure when ingested, among other problems.

And by the way, one of the rewarding aspects of knowing one’s early memories is how helpful they can be in present time. Hillary might now choose to bring the turpentine memory to mind, if only to remind herself to pay attention to what she is consuming, lest it be poison (…like the negative press, for example.)

If we look a little deeper, we also observe that Hillary’s parents weren’t enough to keep her safe. We might wonder if that is something about her parents or something about parenting in general? Is safety for children a make-believe concept?

Parents and non-parents may answer differently, with parents pointing out that no matter how vigilant a parent is, a child can still get hurt. Non-parents, on the other hand, can often be heard insisting that if they were parents, their children would always be safe, no matter what it took! Herein we find the difference between experience and hope.

Indeed, if we want to observe real change in people, we can watch the metamorphosis of parents over the lifespan of their parenting! Perhaps you too have noticed how parents become increasingly humble with each passing year of their children’s lives.

In Hillary’s memory, her parents, or her parents’ surrogates, are not paying close enough attention to her at the time of her exploration, and she is able to gain access to turpentine disguised as a bottle of coke. Surely nothing is more inviting to a thirsty child than an open bottle of coke. And recall that children won’t try to drink anything at all, unless they are thirsty. If you doubt it, try forcing liquids on a child who is not feeling thirst. This suggests that Hillary was also “thirsty” and perhaps “hungry,” (just as she is now).

Metaphorically, in fact, our hunger and thirst push us forward….and in moving forward, we have every opportunity to learn and to grow, even though we risk getting hurt. In Hillary’s case, she apparently pushed forward on many occasions, resulting in a litany of injuries along the way. Evidently, the potential for hurt (in every sense of the word) has never stopped her, nor is it now. (Note: To read the earliest memory on which this review is based, see the post below, dated March 7, 2008.)