Belonging. Belongings. We can have things that belong to us, and to some degree we're defined by them. Isn't that a weird concept? We think that if we dress in a certain brand, drive a certain car or buy a certain couch or television or whatever, and we upkeep a certain lifestyle, that we'll fit in. We'll belong.
I don't think I've ever felt like I don't belong anywhere as much as I do right now. But that's ok. I had mentally prepared myself for this. And the preparation is obviously working because I'm not curled up in the foetal position crying myself to sleep. I feel so completely stripped bare - that's the best way to describe it. I am void of my creature comforts. I don't have a job. Or a car. Or a phone. I've been wearing the same wardrobe of clothes for the last six months at least. I feel like a massive loser. I feel like I don't belong here.
And yet I still feel a strong sense of belonging. I belong to my parents; I belong to my brothers and sisters; I belong to my friends; I belong to my workplace; I belong to my community; I belong to my country. Feeling this way just makes me think that our sense of belonging is probably the most truly undervalued part of our lives. We take it for granted because it's omnipresent. This feeling that we unwittingly source from the people we share our lives with.
What makes us strong and helps us to fit in has nothing to do with the shit we own. Don't be confused, it's belonging, not belongings.
No comments:
Post a Comment