Unraveling the Threads of Self

Life’s tapestry weaves unexpected twists, but the thread of belonging preserves us together. The world holds surprises for everyone at every moment. For an instance, A chick emerges from an incubated egg and acquires an identity that corresponds to membership in a particular group of birds, or just as a monarch butterfly emerges from its chrysalis and assumes a new identity, or when a week-old baby giraffe is rescued by the KWS rangers on the Meru National Park boundary, in Kenya, depict the wonderous work of the nature reuniting with every element existing on the earth.

Belongingness is essential and very basis for every living being on the earth. To belong really means we are able to develop attachments to groups or individuals. In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s word “In nature, belonging is not just a feeling, but a fact.” Like a wolf belongs to its pack, an elephant to its herds, an ant to its colony and a honey bee tirelessly working for the hive’s well-being show that the belongingness is an intrinsic nature of the universe.

The experience of not belonging can manifest itself in different ways. We might not have belonged to the popular cliques in school, perhaps we don’t belong to a certain religious community, maybe we are the town’s fools, or our family no longer accepts us.

Whatever it is: not belonging can be painful, lonely, lead to feelings of disconnect and may be a lot harder to get things done when I never enjoy the benefits of in-group.

As individuals, we form a sense of belonging when we are introduced to and engage with various aspects of society, including: culture, language, media, and literature. In theory the media has a deeply important function to play in our life. Media is like a window enabling us to see more of the world and widen our horizon than our own experiences allow.

Being brought up in a small beautiful village, surrounded by the mountains, streams and waterfalls, I never had an experience of the hustle and bustle life of a city. our village wakes up with the early beam of the golden Sun and goes to sleep with the soothing trickling sound of the river.

All I knew is that a world with people of love, harmony, respect and care for each other and for the nature. At times I compare human relationships to something pliable, like water or sand, and we give them shape by placing them in specific containers, and in a same manner the nature does the same with us.

Who knew that there is something new waiting for me. A new world where people are advanced, progressive and too busy to even take a breath of life. It is entirely a different world when I first came to a city. It's the first time I see fancy showrooms, enormous mansions, and electronic devices.

I could also see high chimneys on the other side, through which dark smoke was rising and filling the blue firmament. The continuous sound of car horns was an unrelenting cacophony of annoyance. The sound of jackhammers and construction drills shattered the air, resonating off skyscrapers. Pedestrians, their conversations lost in the confusion, screamed to be heard above the clamor.

For the first time, I was introduced to media, television, news, and a new culture. There are many things to learn, know, and discover. I felt like there was a huge ocean in front of me that I could never swim or cross.

A single experience had unraveled the fabric of my identity, prompting me to tug on the loose ends. As I pulled, the threads began to unfurl, revealing a complex weave of self.