Welcome to the Worldview Survey for VFP Members
Quick Instructions
Please read the instructions below before participating in the survey.
Then you are invited to:
1. Download your color or black and white PDF of the Worldview Chart below for free.
2. Follow directions below for working with the Worldview Chart for 90 days. There are suggestions for self-study and group study. Find videos from Four Arrows, and more resources, here.
3. Take the SURVEY.
4. You are welcome to join the private Mighty Networks discussion group.
5. Email Four Arrows with any questions here.
About Veterans For Peace
Veterans For Peace is a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.
Statement of Purpose
We, as military veterans, do hereby affirm our greater responsibility to serve the cause of world peace. To this end we will work, with others both nationally and internationally
- To increase public awareness of the causes and costs of war
- To restrain our governments from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations
- To resist racism and repression in our home communities
- To oppose the militarization of law enforcement
- To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons
- To seek justice for veterans and victims of war
- To abolish war as an instrument of national policy
To achieve these goals, members of Veterans For Peace pledge to use non-violent means and to maintain an organization that is both democratic and open with the understanding that all members are trusted to act in the best interests of the group for the larger purpose of world peace.
Instructions for the Worldview Survey
Please Participate in the VETERANS FOR PEACE “Worldview Reflection and Peace Research Project”
“The grim prognosis for life on this planet is the consequence of a few centuries of forgetting what traditional societies knew, and the surviving ones still remember.” Noam Chomsky
People living in “peaceful societies” try as much as possible to live in harmony and avoid violence: they shun aggressive behavior and refuse to fight in wars. Most pre-contact Indigenous cultures met these requirements. (Leavit, Gregory C. 1977. “The Frequency of Warfare: An Evolutional Perspective.” Sociological Inquiry 47: 49–58. CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
There is growing supporting literature, including that put forth in the the 2019 UN Biodiversity Report, that where Indigenous worldview is still operating, so is peace and sustainability. The Veterans for Peace is the first organization to have received a grant for a university sponsored study to see if and how daily reference to a worldview chart can rebalance, revitalize and transform lives and organizations in ways that reverse the problems fostered by our uninvestigated colonial worldview.
ALL WE ASK OF EACH VFP MEMBER:
1. Download your Worldview Chart PDF in color or black and white below. You can buy a poster here.
2. THE STUDY: Spend at least 10 minutes each day reviewing the chart and reflecting on the contrasts between the Indigenous and dominant precepts. Choose one pair each day and reflect on how the dominant precept manifests in your life. Consider ways to embody the Indigenous precept more fully. Find videos and free resources from Four Arrows here. Do this for 90 days.
3. Take the SURVEY. After 90 days, fill out the 10 question survey.
Additional Notes About The Chart as Relates to VFP Chapter Use
The chart presents a comparison between Indigenous pre-colonial worldview precepts and dominant worldview precepts. It aims to encourage reflection and transformation by shifting from dominant to Indigenous precepts, realizing that we all have our feet on both sides and understanding shades of grey with a “non-binary” orientation. This guide provides directions for integrating this chart into your daily life but especially into VFP chapter meetings and their outcomes. While many anecdotal claims say the chart has been transformational, this is the first study of its kind and we ask for members to make a sincere commitment to using the chart for transformational learning and actions that align with VFP goals.
Suggested Steps for Personal Reflection:
1. Daily Study:
o Spend at least 10 minutes each day reviewing the chart.
o Reflect on the contrasts between the Indigenous and dominant precepts.
2. Mindful Reflection:
o Choose one pair of precepts each day.
o Reflect on how the dominant precept manifests in your life.
o Consider ways to embody the Indigenous precept more fully.[es1]
3. Self-Hypnosis or Mindfulness Practice:
o Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down.
o Close your eyes and take deep breaths to relax.
o Visualize a scenario where you are living according to the Indigenous
precept.
o Imagine how this shift would change your actions, thoughts, and
interactions.
4. Journaling:
o Keep a daily log of your reflections and experiences.
o Note any changes in your thoughts, behaviors, or feelings.
o Record any new insights or challenges encountered.\
Suggested Group Activities:
- Weekly Discussions:
- Schedule a weekly meeting with your group to discuss the chart. Extra resources, including videos from Four Arrows, can be found here.
- Select one or two precept pairs for each meeting.
- Share personal reflections and experiences related to these precepts.
- Discuss how the Indigenous precepts could benefit the group’s activities and goals.
2. Collaborative Projects:
- Identify projects or activities that align with Indigenous precepts (e.g., community service, environmental conservation).
- Plan and execute these projects as a group.
- Reflect on the impact of these projects on both the group and the wider community.
3. Feedback and Adjustments:
- After three months, evaluate the impact of using the chart.
- Answer the following questions:
- How often have you studied the chart?
- How often have you discussed it?
- Has it modified your thinking and behaviors?
- Has it helped in chapter meetings in any way?
- Use the feedback to adjust your approach and continue your journey towards embodying Indigenous precept
The Worldview Chart by Four Arrows can be downloaded below free or purchased as a poster here.
What Is A Worldview?
Helpful Discussion Questions
What’s a worldview?
A worldview is a delocalized general sense of how the world works. It’s a cosmology about what humans are, what they should learn, how they should behave and their purpose; how humans relate to the rest of the manifest natural world; and what is our relation to the unmanifest, the spiritual?
Worldview and TEK
Worldview differs from traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that is localized knowledge Indigenous/First Nation Peoples develops from deep experience in a particular landscape.
So, there are two kinds of Indigenous knowhow missing in the dominant culture that are apparent around the world in First Nation Peoples: the Kinship worldview and TEK. Our book focuses on the former.
How did we lose the Kinship worldview?
Our baselines for normality shifted over time in terms of child raising and cultural practices, downshifting human nature to primate levels. Allowing unfettered inequality has led to endemic Wetiko virus (cannibalistic greed). Modern societies operate trauma-inducing pathways instead of the wellness-promoting pathway we evolved.
How does the Kinship worldview differ from the dominant one?
See the Worldview Chart. Worldview” does not belong to a race or group of people, but Indigenous cultures who still hold on to their traditional place-based knowledge are the wisdom keepers of this original Nature-based worldview. All people are indigenous to Earth and have the right and the responsibility to practice and teach the IW precepts. All have the responsibility to support Indigenous sovereignty, dignity, and use of traditional lands.
“For non-Indians who are concerned about misappropriation, see the peer reviewed article,“The Indigenization Controversy: For Whom By Whom.”
The Worldview Chart and introduction was created by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), a.k.a. Don Trent Jacobs, Ph.D., Ed.D. and originally published in The Red Road (chanku luta): Linking Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives to Indigenous Worldview, 2020. The chart is featured in Restoring the Kindship Worldview, 2022, by Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D.
Seven Considerations for Using the Worldview Chart
By Four Arrows
1. Understand “Worldview”: Consider “worldview” as a set of fundamental, and often uninvestigated, beliefs that manifest in primary aspects of cultures, religions, educational institutions, economic systems, sports, science, and media. Not all individuals within these systems believe all the precepts on one side of the chart or the other, but enough support, tolerate, or comply, whether forced or not, allowing these systems to operate in ways that ultimately reflect either the “Dominant Worldview” or the “Indigenous Worldview.”
2. Distinguish Between Worldviews: The “Dominant Worldview” refers to beliefs that emerged around ten thousand years ago, reflecting human-centeredness and a sense of human superiority over nature. It also generally describes the consequences of colonialization. The “Indigenous Worldview” refers to beliefs that guided humanity for most of our history. It is nature-centered and understands humans to be interconnected partners with other sentient beings that make up the rest of the world.
3. Practical Phrasing of the Contrasting Worldview Precepts: The chart uses well-researched and practical contrasting worldview beliefs to help individuals “walk in balance” by recognizing the degrees to which they engage with the precept. One may believe in the Indigenous worldview precept but still live in ways that help maintain the Dominant worldview precept in life systems. For example, consider the contrasting precept pairs described in #12 on the chart. While an individual may espouse the Indigenous perspective that “words are sacred and truthfulness is essential,” the use of “words to deceive self or others” is a prominent reality in most Dominant Worldview systems listed in #1. For positive transformation, the person studying the chart should do so with honest self-reflection. Acknowledging the degree to which one is engaging or supporting the Dominant side and the reasons for it, and using other related precepts, one can make affirmations for transformation, using trance-based learning (and believing in it as per the Indigenous worldview precept) to actualize it in one’s life.
4. Interconnected Precepts: Many people hold beliefs represented on both sides of the chart in varying degrees. However, the precepts are highly interconnected and ultimately inseparable. One cannot pick and choose a few Indigenous worldview precepts while practicing a number of Dominant worldview precepts to rebalance life systems. Each Indigenous worldview precept must be lived as interrelated for a life system to be considered balanced via the Indigenous Worldview. For example, one may decide to no longer support rigid hierarchy or strict authoritarian control and may begin transformational work with much success. However, if they continue to have low respect for the feminine or see humans as superior to animals, the Dominant worldview is maintained.
5. Non-Binary Thinking: The Indigenous worldview precept about non-binary thinking is crucial for understanding the two sides while realizing the goal of moving toward the proven healthier Indigenous Worldview precept. Seeking complementarity between the two sides is not about acceptance of or compromise with the Dominant Worldview. Rather, it is about understanding the Dominant worldview precepts empathetically and holistically in ways that complement or enhance the ultimate embracing of the Indigenous pathway for rebalancing life systems, always recognizing the tension and potential of the contrasting pairs.
6. Contemporary Indigenous Cultures: Individuals in contemporary cultures we define as being Indigenous may or may not still live according to the original “Indigenous worldview,” depending on the degree of colonization they have suffered. However, where this worldview is still operating in the categories described in #1 above, life systems are proven to be healthier. We define this nature-based, interconnected, non-materialistic, spiritual, kinship-oriented worldview that potentially belongs to all people as “Indigenous” to recognize its “indigenous” (small i) aspect and to recognize the groups most likely to still express it. (See ProvenSustainable.org for contemporary examples).
7. Misappropriation vs. Embracement: While misappropriation of Indigeneity is a real problem, studying, teaching, or embracing Indigenous Worldviews is not misappropriation. The “Indigenous worldview” belongs to all creatures on Mother Earth. With a good heart and being an ally of the remaining First Nations as one can, restoring the Indigenous worldview should be a goal for all of us. Indigenous place-based knowledge, however, can only belong to each of the unique Indigenous cultures or First Nations. To have such knowledge requires fluency in the language, intimate knowledge of traditional ceremonies, generations of handed-down wisdom about local flora and fauna, etc. Saving such cultural knowledge and giving sovereignty to those who have it is a vital goal for everyone.
Four Arrows (Wahinkpe Topa) aka Dr. Don Trent Jacobs