Belonging Groups

‘The groups we reject show us who we are just as much as the groups we choose to join.’
For some individuals, there is a need to belong to a group to be able to develop their own identities. The price of assimilating to a particular group, however, is without the mirror that groups offer, there is no way of accurately determining our own characteristics. On the other hand, there are consequences of not being emotionally connected to any collective group. Either way, the groups we join or the groups we reject can both effectively show us who we are and indeed formulate our ongoing identities.
No matter who we are, each of us are born in our own unique location and time and therefore are subjected to the experiences that particular environment
The invisible collective attitude and pressures supresses’ individuality and devastatingly results in a fragmented internal identity and disconnection with reality. It does however, offer some benefits. In joining a social group of friends, colleagues or religion, club other activities, it THE CHOICE reveals our individual values, morals and goals that are shared in common. It offers a sense of belonging where we are able to feel most comfortable, explore further patterns of existence and growth. On the other hand, the groups we consciously choose to reject further reveals our inner core values and morals that we possess. Rejecting groups further consolidates our identity, strength en s our perceptions of right and wrong and ultimately serves a mirror in which we can reflect our self. Though our identity is in a state of flux and constancy, rejection of any group protects us from
This may not always be positive. Prolonged periods of isolation inevitably results in a deep and destructive contemplation of life long regrets, love and lost. It is these periods in our lives, where our search for soul, unveils a series of revelations in which we discover our identity and understand what has define it. Reflecting on my journey from 1997 to 2015, the groups I have joined has no doubt influenced my identity and my outlook on life. With any group, however, a sub-conscious level of hesitation is evident in my refusal to be fully submerged. Is the family you are born in a group that you are forced to join? What happens when you are neglected, lied to and betrayed? Is that still your family? Is that still your group? As I sink into abysmal hopelessness and despair, I question my identity. Perhaps UNCONDITIONAL acceptance of my current / peer groups I am in and not is as opposing to trapping myself in a paradigm of self-justification, rationalisation and depression, will allow growth and opportunity in which I can find my identity and know where I belong. Our environment governs our identity and so does the groups that it offers that we join or reject???????. Either way they reveal something deep in us. But perhaps it’s just an illusion and this over-analysis has more consequences than benefits. A balance between perception and