R: What initially stands in the way of action is the fear that one will become an outcast. The sum total of humanity’s drive is to cultivate the feeling of belonging. One feels that by no longer belonging one will live in solitude and isolation. Nothing could be further from the truth, because this is a feeling, not a fact.
The fact of being on one’s own is unlike the feeling of being alone … which is loneliness. By daring to be an outcast – that is, standing on one’s own – one discovers that loneliness vanishes. I do not belong to any group … yet I can live here because I have found intimacy – with myself and with all people. Not only has the need to belong become redundant, it is an assurance of safety and security. The sense of belonging is a chancy deception. Losing oneself in the flock contributes not only group highs but to mass hysteria … and mob riots. Just as marital disharmony can lead to domestic violence, so too can civil unrest and communal violence lead to war.
All because of belonging.
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