The author thinks we cannot just live alone, we need to have a belonging, but maybe love other people is hurt other people’s freedom. What’s more, we think we are in a group or a community, we can feel we are superior than others. we all need help, but sometimes we always hide this and think we are better than others.
In order to think we are superior to others, we build walls, make our group against other groups, prejudice cultivates.
Back to the Child
We refuse our weaknesses because weaknesses mean death, like sicknesses, accidents, disabilities.
Like a child, we can feel belonged then we can know love, know what we are called to be.
The Joy and Pain of Belonging
In our early life, we can feel the belonging as a child, but if we cannot receive love or just feel anguish and painful, we maybe cannot know others’ feeling of love, we hide our weaknesses but it will be a big problem when we grow up.
The Difficult Place of Those Who Are Weaker
We always admire powerful and growth, but this means that we exclude disabilities, we formed a community, a group or a country to amend our weaknesses, our disabilities, but we may rise hate, we think other groups are bad, are evil, we want to empower them. This is why there are so many war and conflicts in history. In order to heal that, we must respect differences of other cultures, other’s lives, but we must see our own problems even evil in our heart.
Belonging Breaking Down
We are in a group then we can hide our weaknesses and feel security, but nowadays, western culture admire power, competitions as an individuality, that makes us explore in the battlefield, we are wrong if we show our weaknesses.
Belonging That Closes Up
If we are in a closed group but it is full of openness and respect each other’s differences, we can be very happy, but if not, we build a barrister to others, and we are fear to leave this group, we formed a bad sect.
Belonging for Growth Towards
Maturity and Freedom
A group with maturity has a strong feeling of belonging, it has openness to our own weak and needy, and willing to serve others. This kind of group will see other’s gifts, also will seek help outside of the group.
Belonging Together in a Pluralistic Society
Some groups may think it is dangerous to mix up different groups and cultures, but we all live in the earth with different cultures, we cannot build security with our own group.
Closed and Open Groups
Who are your neighbors, maybe it’s not a member of your group, if you need help, some people out of your group may help you but your group members don’t. If so, like this group, or ideology built on that, is fragile.
The Common Good: What Society?
Common good, from fear to trust, from exclusion to inclusion, is the pursuit in our society, on the earth.