From Brené Brown - The Opposite of Belonging Is Fitting In.
She defines belonging as “being part of something bigger but also having the courage to stand alone, and to belong to yourself above all else.”
In that case, belonging is actually the opposite of fitting in! Fitting in means that we are changing ourselves to make other people like us. Fitting in means that we betray ourselves.
The minute you become who someone wants you to be, to fit in and make sure people like you, is the moment you no longer belong anywhere.
--
I find it very interesting, in relation to names because they are given to us - assigned almost and you can be beholden to it along with expectations from the care givers who gave it to you. I could get very deep into all of this, but I won't... Today at least.
Yes I agree with Brene Brown.... belonging means you can be different and still belong. I find names fascinating too. You are given your name with expectations around it. In Bengali culture people don't use their formal name until they go to school. Everyone has a different family name that is used by everyone in their family which is less formal. Those names are things like Pinky, Tinku, Mampu or I have a cousin who is Tuktuki to the family. People use those names unless in a formal setting
From Brené Brown - The Opposite of Belonging Is Fitting In.
She defines belonging as “being part of something bigger but also having the courage to stand alone, and to belong to yourself above all else.”
In that case, belonging is actually the opposite of fitting in! Fitting in means that we are changing ourselves to make other people like us. Fitting in means that we betray ourselves.
The minute you become who someone wants you to be, to fit in and make sure people like you, is the moment you no longer belong anywhere.
--
I find it very interesting, in relation to names because they are given to us - assigned almost and you can be beholden to it along with expectations from the care givers who gave it to you. I could get very deep into all of this, but I won't... Today at least.
Lots to muse on!
Yes I agree with Brene Brown.... belonging means you can be different and still belong. I find names fascinating too. You are given your name with expectations around it. In Bengali culture people don't use their formal name until they go to school. Everyone has a different family name that is used by everyone in their family which is less formal. Those names are things like Pinky, Tinku, Mampu or I have a cousin who is Tuktuki to the family. People use those names unless in a formal setting
So interesting, thank you for sharing that. It's so intrinsically linked to identity which is what I also find fascinating