"There is an epidemic of loneliness. The U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, says, 'If we fail to build more connected lives…we will continue to splinter and divide until we can no longer stand as a community or a country.' As we try to understand this societal illness, I think we need to ask whether we are sick from loneliness or from not belonging — to each other and ourselves.

"...This pandemic of othering is sustained by binary thinking, which dismantles the inherent dignity of those different from us — religiously, racially, culturally, politically, intellectually, etc. Rather than thriving in relationship with each other, many groups find themselves in profound opposition. What is the point of this opposition? What are groups and people trying to protect? For some, it may be the comfort they find in their structure, order, and perspective. For some, it may be a desire to feel the nurturing and supportive sense of belonging, but the desire has become confused with fitting in."

"...The paradox of belonging is much like the paradox of love. Br. David Steindl-Rast says that 'to live means to be in relationship' and that requires 'love in action.' In order to put love into action and experience belonging, you also have to be at home in yourself. When you belong to yourself, you are better equipped to see, appreciate, and respect someone else’s dignity. This is because you can imagine, remember, or acknowledge the pain you’ve endured and how it has shaped your perspective and behavior ... When you can imagine being othered then you can see the only path is understanding." - Joe Primo

ARTICLE: Radical Belonging in an Age of Othering

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