GREEN NEWS & VIEWS How to Belong to a Place
of living and non-living things. These communities, or ecosystems, provide the literal space and materials for the construction of mean- LQJDQGEHORQJLQJ7KH¿HOGRI Ecopsychology R̆ HUVLQVLJKWLQWRKRZ connecting with our environment promotes good mental and physical health, and even has the power to keep loneliness at bay by helping us nurture a sense of belonging in our communities. %HORZDUHR̆ HULQJVVXJJHVWHGSDWKVWRIRVWHUD sense of belonging to the place where you are.
BY MARIA YAMNITZ 0\SDUWQHUZDONVGL̆ HUHQWO\LQWKHPRXQWDLQVZKHUHKHJUHZXS His shoulders swing easy and his feet step with a lightness, a rhythmic DJUHHPHQW PDGH ORQJ DJR EHWZHHQ KLP DQG WKH ORDP\ VRLO $PRQJ WKHFRQLIHUVKLVEUHDWKVDUHGHHS7KHFRQWHQWHGHDVH¿OOHGTXLHWRI µKRPH¶SHUYDGHV
'R\RXNQRZWKLVIHHOLQJRIEHORQJLQJ",W¶VWKDW restful, familiar sense of kinship, a recognition of ZKDWWKHODWHSRHW0DU\2OLYHU called “your place in the family of things.” Feeling at home in the world is WKH DQWLGRWH WRDQHSLGHPLF RIORQHOLQHVV ,Q $$535HVHDUFK reported that more than one third RIDGXOWVRYHUGLVFORVHGIHHOLQJORQHO\DQGD study FRQGXFWHGE\+DUYDUG¶V0DNLQJ&DULQJ&RP - PRQ3URMHFWIRXQGWKDWRYHURIDGXOWVDJHG UHSRUWHGH[SHULHQFHVRIORQHOLQHVV7RIHHOORQHO\ is to feel, through no fault of our own, disconnect- ed from the people, places, and processes around XV )RUPHU 6XUJHRQ *HQHUDO 9LYHN 0XUWK\ GH¿QHV loneliness not as a symptom of being alone, but of lacking a sense of belonging where we are. Loneliness lives in every home, and it can feel overwhelming to pursue a sense of belonging in our FRPPXQLWLHV HYHQ WKRVH ZH¶YH EHHQ D SDUW RI RXU whole lives. However, to combat loneliness we must forge connections. If working to foster relationships with other people or groups feels overwhelming, GRQ¶WZRUU\ WKHUHDUHUHODWLRQVKLSVWREHFXOWLYDWHG right outside your window. Our environments hold dynamic communities
/HDUQQDPHV . The foundation of getting to know your neighbors — even those neighbors who DUHÀRUDDQGIDXQD — LVWROHDUQWKHLUQDPHV:KDW¶V WKH WUHH RXWVLGH \RXU ZLQGRZ FDOOHG" :KHQ \RX take a walk in a local park or a hike a bit outside of town, how many of these friendly neighbors can you ¿QG"5HFRJQL]LQJWKHQDPHVRIWKHELUGVDQGÀRZ - ers when I walk makes the world feel friendlier, like ,¶PDWDSDUW\ZKHUH,NQRZDFRPIRUWDEOHQXPEHURI SHRSOH0\IDYRULWHWUHHVWRLGHQWLI\LQP\FLW\RI6W /RXLV DUH *LQNJRHV :LWFK +D]HOV DQG 3DZSDZV DQGWKHUHDUHVHYHUDOWKDW,¶YHFRPHWRNQRZZHOOLQ WKHODVW¿YH\HDUVQRWLFLQJWKHLUF\FOLFDOFKDQJHVDQG avian visitors. They are a constant acquaintance, beautiful and steady in every turning of the seasons. *LYHQDPHV . Naming is a practice of endear- ment and belonging. We name our children, our pets, sometimes our cars, and the places we love. There LV D SDUN LQ VRXWKHUQ 0LVVRXUL IRUPDOO\ NQRZQ DV
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PATHWAYS—Fall 22—31
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