Belonging

So conscience—our capacity to define right from wrong—defines our actions right?

A quote from a Rumi poem encourages us to transcend that:

Out beyond wrong doing and right doing there is a field, I’ll meet you there.

While this is a favorite quote of mine and a real “place” and beautiful invitation, what if we are leaving out another important place?

The place of belonging.

It has been repeatedly shown through study after study that our need to belong is a REQUIREMENT for human survival. It’s also been shown, for better or worse, that a human will literally do anything to belong to their group.

Discerning right from wrong changes with this re-definition, because what motivates us is beyond our conscience.

It is survival.

The rules of the game change when our very survival is at stake (this includes when our brain perceives that our survival is at stake-whether it’s actually true or not.).

We are in survival mode so often now as a result of our lifestyles and the environments we have created.

If we look closely, we may be able to see the fuzzy edges of the right and wrong conversation.

Who is right? What is right? Who is good? Who is bad?

Lots of disagreement and can we also recognize how our right and wrong identifications help us find our place of belonging?!

Wherever you are judging people as wrong, look a little closer. I bet you will also see people who feel on the edge, on the outside, or who are finally finding a place of belonging, albeit in a group you may disapprove of. Check it out. THEN, see what YOU can do to create more room for belonging-how are you like them?

So, yes, there IS a field beyond right and wrong. Let’s meet there together.