Being part of a social group is part of life. A family. A workplace. A profession. The ladies group at the church. The curling team Well you get the picture. Even the ones who get their coffee at their favourite shop everyday feel part of a group. When life changes- a group layoff, retirement, empty nest, relationship breakup to name a few, the loss is about more than the incident but the loss of the social network. Perhaps it is why the obsession with gadgets- cellphones, i-pads, tablets- another way to stay connected to a social group. Hundreds of facebook friends may be an illusion as they are not all your real friends but it gives a place to belong without much effort. Collectively we cheer on our favourite teams- belonging! Our faith group and local place of worship let us belong unconditionally. Why such a social need for humans? In the Animal Kingdom, there is such a phenomena with many animals- gorillas, elephants, lions, antelope. Other animals are loners- polar bears, tigers! There can be different social groups for the same person! Social belonging, acceptance, a sense of order.
No comments:
Post a Comment