"Belonging is the innate human desire to be part
of something larger than us. Because this yearning
is so primal, we often try to acquire it by
fitting in and seeking approval, which are not
only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often
barriers to it. Because true belonging only
happens when we present our true imperfect selves
to the world, our sense of belonging can never be
greater than our level of self-acceptance."
"True belonging is not ownership; it never grasps
or holds on from fear or greed. Belonging knows
its own shape and direction. True belonging comes
from within. It strives for a harmony between the
outer forms of belonging and the inner music of
the soul. We seem to have forgotten the true depth
and spiritual nature of intimate belonging. Our
minds are over-saturated and demented. We need to
rediscover ascetical tranquility and come home to
the temple of our senses. This would anchor our
longing and help us to feel the world from
within. When we allow dislocation to control us,
we become outsiders, exiled from the intimacy of
true unity with ourselves, each other, and
creation. Our bodies know that they belong; it is
our minds that make our lives so homeless. Guided
by longing, belonging is the wisdom of
rhythm. When we are in rhythm with our own nature,
things flow and balance naturally. Every fragment
does not have to be relocated, reordered; things
cohere and fit according to their deeper impulse
and instinct. Our modern hunger to belong is
particularly intense. An increasing majority of
people feel no belonging. We have fallen out of
rhythm with life. The art of belonging is the
recovery of the wisdom of rhythm."
