Belonging
All social beings strive for belonging. The growing body of positive psychology and sociology research suggests that people with a sense of belonging are healthier, stronger and more resilient.
Our essential hunger for belonging can trump other values, driving people to join isolated cliques, disenfranchised gangs, and politically funded armies. People find more of a sense of belonging in churches and institutions than in their own neighborhood communities.
How do we design a sense of belonging into our communities? I suspect we must first master the fine art of hospitality.
October 31st, 2007 02:56
But isn’t someone’s chosen church just as much a vital part of their community as the neighborhood in which they happen to live? Why the artificial divisions between the two?
October 31st, 2007 07:08
Church and neighborhood are two kinds of community indeed. Thanks for the reminder, to which you can see I’ve now made the post more whole.
October 31st, 2007 14:19
Thanks for the clarification, Jack. I was only confused because you seemed to be (at least indirectly) devaluing faith communities, and that didn’t seem remotely consistent with the rest of your body of work, nor with your own personal spiritual orientation (at least insofar as I think I understand that, as an old friend who hasn’t–alas–spent much time with you lately).
October 31st, 2007 14:26
Actually old (tenure not chronologically) friend, we need to expect much of faith communities to heal fragmentation in neighborhood, civic, and regional communities. Who else beside faith communities, sociologists and anthropologists should know more about the essence of community? Are we asking enough of our faith communities in helping heal the fragments?
November 2nd, 2007 10:45
Well said. And by the way, I’ve been meaning to send you this link to a blog about the intersection of journalism/news and Buddhist ethics. I imagine you might find it interesting.
http://deadlinebuddhist.typepad.com/the_deadline_buddhist/
November 2nd, 2007 23:11
How do we design a sense of belonging into our communities? How do we have a sense of belonging in ourselves? Then we can meet each other there.
November 2nd, 2007 23:24
Thanks John, what a great link! And thanks Holly for thoughtful inquiry. I like the idea of belonging as hospitality, which is receiving the gifts of others.