Is there common ground? Part three
the human longing to belong
The previous two posts outlined big-picture aspects of common ground that orientate a shift in our Western cultural mindset: 1. We all share the one planet. 2. The human tradition This post outlines an aspect of common ground that reaches into the very heart of what it means to be a human being.
Common ground 3: the human longing to belong
Belonging here refers to a visceral experience of connectedness within the three interrelated dimensions of human consciousness: within our skin; within community; and within a greater Story of Life itself that gives meaning to our living and our dying. We experience belonging through a unified belief system, in the form of a sacred narrative, that addresses questions like: “Where did we come from?” ”Why are we here?” “What becomes of us when we die?” “Why is there good and evil in the world?” “Is there a god/s?” ”What is the source and nature of love?” Sacred narratives usually sit within recognised meaning-making traditions. Nonetheless, it is important to note that a growing number of individuals within Western societies are identifying as spiritual but not religious. Their sacred narratives may include a range of eclectic beliefs and practices drawn from various meaning-making traditions. Whatever the case, a sacred narrative is our human way of making sense of ourselves and our world.
When our sacred narrative is coherent with current lived experience, knowledge, and beliefs, it offers an inner shelter of belonging within Life’s ongoing dance of being and becoming. When we experience belonging, we live with authenticity and integrity because we know who we are, why we are here, and how we are to live. Conversely, without an inner shelter of belonging, we can each become disorientated, or lost, in the vastness of the dance. So, the common ground here is not in a singular sacred narrative that serves all of humanity for all time; it is the human need to experience an inner shelter of belonging through a coherent sacred narrative.
Spiritual practice
In light of your understanding of the principle of interconnectedness via unity with diversity, how would you respond to the following questions:
“Where did I come from?”
”Why am I here?”
“What becomes of me when I die?”
“Why is there good and evil in the world?”
“Is there a god/s?”
”What is the source and nature of love?”
Do your responses to the above questions offer you an inner shelter of belonging in the form of a sacred narrative that enables you to know who you are, why you are here, and how you are to live?
