Have you ever been somewhere you have always been, among people you have always been around and feel as if you were in the wrong place, among the wrong people or even, in the wrong time? There is nothing wrong with them, there is no feeling of ill will just a sense that you do not belong and a deep yearning to be somewhere else, among a group you feel at home with. Do you belong to something, contribute and feel you matter to something, know that others share your interest and want to speak about things that matter to you? If the answer is yes, then you are a part of a community that you belong to. A community that you belong to is a group or network of people who are held together by common goals, interests and even desires. Without a community that you feel you belong to what would be the point?
There are some who will not agree and will highlight that they are “just fine” by themselves, that they are loners, introverts or lone wolves. The irony of the lone wolf is that they do not remain in that state forever, and will eventually find themselves back in the pack, If a lone wolf cannot survive it will eventually return to its natal pack (howstuffworks.com). So it is safe to say that having your community and being fully a part of it is very important.
The challenge though is finding your community. Many persons spend a great portion of their life trying to find the community to which they belong, and some never do and so become the lone wolf. However, the trick – and some may say good fortune – is to find like-minded people who understand and encourage your passions and who can make meaningful contributions to your life. But the community you belong to should only enrich your life, but should offer you the opportunity to enrich the lives of those within the community as well!
But here is the thing, in order to find your community that you feel connected to that you get and that gets you, you have to know who you are and what you are about. Finding a group to imitate, who you try to please, who you want to change for, is not your community, because your community should reflect who you are, not who you feel forced to be, in order to get by. The sad part is we have become so wrapped up in creating impressions all throughout our lives that we have to really search hard in order to find and be our authentic selves.
I hope that we all find the community that we belong to because it is out there waiting for us to join who form it. I hope that I will be brave enough to seek my community and not wait for it to come to me. I hope that I can claim my place there when I do encounter it and make it one that will find others like me who are wandering purposefully, trying to find their way home.
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