Sense Of Belonging Essay

It is an interesting conundrum to view ourselves through the prism of place and our sense of belonging. We, none of us, can change the place where we are born. It is impossible to translate the horrors of a child growing up in war torn or impoverished Africa, with a child of privilege in Melbourne, London or New York. The impact of place– be they negative or positive- creates some part of the identity that will endure for an entire lifetime. The same can be said for our sense of belonging, that it helps create a part of our identity that will last a lifetime, whether it is as a result of family, friends or groups. However, a person's sense of individual identity is always changing in response to the experiences in life. How we feel, how we act and how we
Naturally, much of who we are is influenced by the people, groups or places we belong to. However, as we experience life and encounter different challenges, our identity continuously changes in response to our environment. Living in several different countries throughout my formative years, makes it difficult for me to value place and its importance in the formation of my identity. I cannot say that place or a sense of belonging to people or groups has been a major contributor to the formation of my identity. Rather, my identity has been formed by the challenges and experiences I have encountered throughout most of my life. My early life experiences and the challenges of living in a war torn country has shaped my identity in ways my sense of belonging to people or places wouldn’t be able to. Although a sense of belonging to my family and places such as school has had its share of influence on my identity, it has ultimately been my life experiences and challenges that has made me the person I am today. My identity has been shaped by my life experiences, and will continue to do so for the rest of my