THE VALUE OF YOUR LONGING AND BELONGING

THE VALUE OF YOUR LONGING AND BELONGING

By Arthur Chang

Poet David Whyte remarked, “Longing is the transfiguration of aloneness.” It is said that mastering the art of being alone means acknowledging the longing for connection. This is the need to belong to a larger group. To do this we must then orient ourselves to our central yearning—the connection, while developing the greater gentleness and less judgement that makes this possible.

Humans tend to live isolated, fragmented lives, without realizing how vital it is for our longing to take us out of our solitary cocoon to develop the butterfly evolution of our person-hood.  Our longing allows us to connect with others in the world with a sense of love and meaning. Our longing forms, for our isolated selves, a bridge between our longing and belonging. We will bring into the self from the world out there, a greater connection with the whole and a sense of belonging that transforms us. This vital activity heals the hunger of the heart by providing the antidote to aloneness, which wreaks havoc on the healthy development of our heart by stunting its growth into full human hood. 

When we fail to reach out, we are prone to diseases, intolerable of differences, impatient with the pace of growth, finally losing the eternal values of love, kindness, patience, flexibility and goodness. In as much as we live isolated lives, we desire to be relational in this relational world. The creative tension between our longing and belonging will provide just this.

Blessing

May you master the art of being alone by acknowledging your longing for connection to the larger world. May your then experience a deeper sense of belonging to the world in which you live.