Rich belonging
requires action from the many
and the one
Simple belonging
is cheap,
easy
No one had to choose me
I just was
No adjustments required
from me or others
I just fit
It's jarring
when the fit was effortless
and suddenly, not
Simple feels finished
but when you go deeper
with anyone
or yourself
you'll find the clash
Do you then
choose violence?
strong-arm the parts
that don't match
into line?
Do you then
choose distance?
set adrift, searching
for those just like you?
Neither can restore
that first Eden
nor should they
Don't just ask "do I belong"
ask also
"am I belonging?"
Inspired by the recently published Faith Matters interview with Melissa Inouye and Kate Holbrook. The intro to the book they edited, "Every Needful Thing" contains the line "we've come to see belonging as a choice both on the part of the group and the individual." I think there's powerful truth there, especially for our current context, where we most often here "belonging" as something that groups and institutions are supposed to provide for the individual, and we've forgotten that there's also a part for the indivdual to play.