Experiences that people undergo in their lives shape how they perceive the world. In essence, worldview varies from one person to another depending on childhood experiences. Childhood experiences happen at the family level and at the societal level. Existence of varied childhood experiences implies that family and society play a significant role in shaping how people perceive the world. The nature of parenting that children receive coupled with cultural values and ethics that children learn effectively shape their perception of the world. Thus, worldview is a product of cumulative experiences that a person undergoes from childhood through into the adulthood. By examining worldview of a person, one can easily predict childhood experiences that have contributed to such a worldview. Therefore, this essay analyzes the interview of Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State, with the objective of identifying childhood experiences that have shaped her perception of intercultural events in the modern world.
The family background really shaped how Rice viewed the world. Rice’s father was a Christian, a Presbyterian minister while her mother taught science and music. Owing to the Christian background, Rice was able to view the society in terms of good or evil. From the perspective of Christianity, Rice struggled to ensure that the good triumphed over the evil. From the interview, Rice is “smart, tough, and deeply religious woman who sees the struggle against the enemies of the United States as a fight of good versus evil” (Couric & Rice, 2006, para. 18). The religious background of Rice made her to view the world from the perspective of Christianity. Thus, Rice viewed that the United States supported Christianity by ensuring that it struggled for the human rights as enshrined in the constitution. In contrast, Rice viewed that anyone who went against Christianity was evil and an enemy of the United States.
Rice did experience acts of terrorism in her childhood, which consequently influenced how she perceived the world. In the interview, Rice confessed that she remembered how she experienced the ordeal of bombings in the church when she was barely eight years old. As the racists decided to bomb innocent children in the church, it resulted in the loss of three girls who were her close friends. In her argument, Rice observed that the bombing of innocent girls by racists was an act of terrorism, homegrown terrorism, which aimed at terrorizing communities (Couric & Rice, 2006). Basing on such childhood experiences of terror, Rice understood that terrorism constitutes inhuman acts that any society should not condone. Thus, Rice became a true believer of the antiterrorism ideology of the United States. Rice supported the antiterrorism war in Iraq and Afghanistan, which has led to the democratization of these countries.
During her childhood, Rice experienced racial discrimination. The Whites treated African Americans as inferior people who did not deserve the same privileges that they enjoyed. In essence, the Whites saw that African Americans were immature people who did not understand democracy because they were unable to use their votes wisely (Couric & Rice, 2006). Hence, when Rice noted the privileges she enjoyed and remembered the racial experiences she underwent, she began to appreciate the need of an equal society. Therefore, racial experiences did make her fight for the rights of African Americans and create an equal society where the rule of law overrides racial biases.
From the interview, it is evident that childhood experiences that Rice underwent have made a significant impact on her perception of intercultural events in the world. Some of the notable experiences are Christian parenting, the bombing of innocent children, and racial discrimination. The cumulative experiences of her childhood have made Rice to advocate for human rights, support war on terror, and believe in democracy, as central elements that are essential in creating stable societies and countries.
References
Couric, K., & Rice, C. (2006). Condoleezza Rice Profiled. Web.