#identity and belonging

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Community

The philosophy of community explores the fundamental nature, purpose, and significance of communities within human life. It examines how individuals relate to each other within a community, the values that bind them together, and the impact of communal life on personal and collective well-being. This philosophical inquiry involves a blend of ethical, social, political, and cultural dimensions, focusing on the essence of communal bonds and their influence on human existence.

Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Community

Interconnectedness and Interdependence:

Communities are built on the understanding that individuals are interconnected and interdependent. This interconnectedness fosters mutual support, cooperation, and shared responsibilities, which are essential for the survival and flourishing of both individuals and the group.

Shared Values and Norms:

Communities are often defined by shared values, norms, and cultural practices. These shared elements provide a sense of identity and belonging, guiding behavior and establishing a framework for social harmony and cohesion.

Common Good:

The concept of the common good is central to the philosophy of community. It emphasizes that the well-being of the community as a whole is paramount and that individual interests should align with or contribute to this collective well-being.

Solidarity and Social Justice:

Solidarity refers to the unity and support among members of a community, particularly in times of need. Social justice within a community involves ensuring fair treatment, equitable distribution of resources, and opportunities for all members, promoting inclusivity and equality.

Identity and Belonging:

A strong sense of community fosters a sense of identity and belonging among its members. This psychological and emotional connection can provide meaning, purpose, and support, enhancing individual and collective well-being.

Dialogue and Participation:

Effective communities encourage open dialogue and active participation. This involves inclusive decision-making processes where all members have a voice, fostering democratic principles and ensuring that the community's direction aligns with the collective will.

Autonomy and Responsibility:

While communities support interdependence, they also recognize the importance of individual autonomy. Balancing personal freedom with communal responsibilities is crucial for maintaining both individual rights and the integrity of the community.

Theories and Philosophical Perspectives

Communitarianism:

Communitarianism emphasizes the importance of community in shaping individuals' values, identities, and well-being. It argues that individual rights and freedoms are best understood and exercised within the context of community responsibilities and social practices.

Social Contract Theory:

Social contract theory explores the agreements and implicit contracts that form the basis of communal living. Philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau have different views on the nature of these contracts and the balance between individual freedom and communal obligations.

Civic Republicanism:

Civic republicanism focuses on active citizenship and participation in communal life as essential for personal fulfillment and the health of the community. It stresses the importance of civic virtue, public-mindedness, and the common good.

Marxism and Critical Theory:

These perspectives analyze the role of economic and power structures in shaping communities. They critique how inequalities and class divisions impact communal relations and advocate for more equitable and just communal arrangements.

Personalism:

Personalism emphasizes the inherent dignity and worth of each individual within a community. It advocates for a community structure that respects and uplifts individual personhood while fostering strong, supportive relationships.

The philosophy of community delves into the intricate balance between individual and collective interests, exploring how communities can support human flourishing through shared values, mutual support, and collective action. By examining the ethical, social, and political dimensions of communal life, this philosophical inquiry helps us understand the profound impact of community on personal identity, well-being, and societal development.

[pebblegalaxy]

Songs for the Brokenhearted: A Journey of Love, Loss, and Rediscovery in Ayelet Tsabari's Novel #TBRChallenge #bookchatter #BookReview #JewishFiction #IsraeliLiterature

Songs for the Brokenhearted: A Journey Through History, Identity, and Healing In her debut novel Songs for the Brokenhearted, Ayelet Tsabari crafts a poignant and intricately layered narrative that weaves together personal and historical threads to create a rich tapestry of love, loss, identity, and the pursuit of belonging. Set against the backdrop of two distinct yet interconnected time…

[tchistorygal]

Y3 Story Chat Summary #11: "of Houses and Homes" by Trent McDonald

The Story’s Success With 178 recent views, 34 likes, and 136 comments, this month’s SC story, “Of Houses and Homes” by Trent McDonald, was a huge success. If you love to read short stories, you will enjoy Story Chat. For links to all of the SC stories, bookmark the Story Chat Page. What Trent Said About his Story Chat Experience “I have read a few SC stories but haven’t participated much –…

[lyndacuba]

Letter to my selves

The other day I was laughing with friends about how we never heed our own advice so here I am dishing out some words of wisdom to my selves. I’m having a word with my selves! Short video slate of blog title: letter to my selves I find it hard to love myself so I’m having a word with my selves. This exercise is a big step forward. Notice how you used to say, ‘why is that happening to me?’ Do…

[sharkylad]

Thinking about the fact that Mabel and Dipper didn't know they had two great uncles.

Yeah they are 12 and at 12 I had a shotty understanding of my family tree- But really? Nobody brought up their great uncle? Stanley? Especially since they'll be staying with his twin brother, Stanford?

Shermie never went to Stan's fake funeral, which to me means the twos relationship was strained on some level. If Shermie is older that means his view of Stan was poisoned in some way, that even as kids they weren't close. If the Shermie is younger then he never even got to meet Stan and all he knew about him was how he failed his family. Hell, people probably barely mentioned Stanley TO Shermie.

The fact that Stan had become a black stain upon the Pines family name makes me so vividly upset. Stanley faked his death and the family just- seemingly decided to strike him from the record. To pretend he didn't existed to spare themselves the sadness and shame.

Stanford and Shermie Pines. The only children worth mentioning of Filbrick and Caryn Pines.

It was never Stanford that was lost to the world. It was Stanley, ever since he had to leave New Jersy- it was always him that had to be struck from the record. Change his name, change his state, change his affiliations, destroy the remains of ghost that was Stanley Pines. Kill him so the family doesn't bring him up, doesn't ask questions, stops asking "Stanford" about his twin.

I just keep thinking about the fact that since the day he made one single mistake all the way up until Ford walks out of that machine- Stanley Pines was killed and did not exist. And Stan himself had no one to blame, he had to play the part in his own demise- He is the only one who ever knew Stanley was alive and has been for decades.

He lives in the multitudes of every personality he's ever taken, all in the hope that he himself can stop being Stanley Pines.

[agendercryptidlev]

Thinking about how Riz is the one who first used he/him pronouns for Baron & what it's like being AroAce is a queer space. Thinking about Riz seeing the kinship that Raugh and Kristen formed over both being gay and wanting that connection, that sense of community, but holding himself back because while he wasn't "normal" he also wasn't like them. When you're gay you're family and when you're straight you fit in but what happens when you're neither? How do you categorize that.

Riz isn't afraid of his orientation because he's different by societal standards. It's not being queer that scares him no, it's the isolation of not knowing if anyone else feels the way he does. He knows that if he were gay or bi or pan his friends would understand, he'd be like them and be surrounded by people like him. But he's not like them, he is different in a way that seems entirely unique to himself.

So maybe he kind of wished he was gay, and that Baron existed because that was what he was afraid to admit. It'd be a lot less lonely than the truth.

[canisalbus]

In this hypothetical AU of minmaxing the assassination attempt he then somehow makes it to Vasco an utter mess because he has no where else to go...hmmm

.

[lorebird]

In which Ford struggles so badly to relate to other people that he wonders if he’s really human at all. The more isolated he becomes, the harder it is to reconcile with his own humanity.

[whitesunlars]

hey. you. yeah you. if you think every and all zionists are inherently evil and the jewish people have no ties to the levant then the posts about antisemitism are about you.

[chocmoon-latte]

There's this added layer of sadness to the Sole Survivor that I've never seen anyone talk about, and that's the fact you as the protagonist haven't just been stripped of your identity not just in a metaphorical sense, but a very literal one as well. Despite being frozen for 210 years, the world before would still be fresh in your mind.

Imagine walking down into The Third Rail for the first time to hear the angelic singing of Magnolia echoing throughout the establishment, and as you turn the corner to see her performing in the spotlight, your expression immediately changes as you realize... that's your dress she's wearing.

You're in Diamond City and head over to the office to talk to Mayor McDonough about asking permission to check out Kellogg's house, and when you're talking to Geneva at the front desk you notice she's wearing your mother's necklace. Or worse, you bump into Ann Codman and she's the one wearing it, and you barely get a chance to get a second glimpse at it before she huffily walks away.

You see old memories of yours for sale that you can't buy back because you don't have the money, finding belongings of yours in the most unlikely of places. Things of yours owned by people who can't be convinced that those items are still yours to you, because they can't believe you're really from all those years ago so they mock you instead.

Seeing old photos of you happy from your life before, being placed among photos of other people in buildings being used as some kind of decoration. A bitter realization and a constant reminder that you, the things you use to associate with and the people you use to associate with really are just relics of the past.

[teamoakills]

the thespian urge to have a rival love story (and it failing immediately)

[lacnunga]

Theres something about big booktoker/booktuber shelves that really heebies my jeebies

[zehl0w]

Zenitsu agatsuma has got to be the biggest egg I have ever seen in my entire life

[longreads]

In today’s new Longreads essay, Montserrat Andrée Carty writes about family and identity, growing up around different languages and cultures, and eventually embracing (and loving) her name over time.

We seek to become the truest version of ourselves, but what if there isn’t one true version, but multiple? Like father, like daughter, there are two versions of me.

At 5, I spoke all these languages fluently. Today, I only speak two of them, but understand all of them in some way, as they still live inside me.

Read her beautiful personal essay on Longreads.

[lyndacuba]

Safe spaces

I don't follow the conventions of grammar in this posts. Think more stream of consciousness without the stream.

I used to have a desk in the university staff room at work. During Lockdown someone helped themselves to my two china mugs. People insisted they must be somewhere and that I’d find them. I never did. At the end of last academic year we were asked to clear our desks for renovations to make the office bigger. To accommodate new staff. When we returned there were be no personal desks. We…

[fromtheseventhhell]

I love how people are only ever interested in defending Arya's right to be weird-looking. It's never defending her intelligence from people who claim she's incapable of thinking for herself, highlighting her importance to the plot and refusing to see her as just a prop, acknowledging how much of her story gets stolen and given to other characters, talking about her trauma or how often it gets erased and overlooked, seeing her as more than just an attack dog/bodyguard, etc. Nope. It's just a "why can't people let Arya be ugly/unconventional looking? :(" post every other week because people are, for whatever reason, obsessed with how Arya is visually perceived. One of the most misinterpreted characters yet the issue is only ever with her being portrayed as "too pretty" or the wrong "type" of pretty. This fandom will entirely rewrite a character's motivations, values, and role in the story to the point that they consider references to canon "hate" but! The true injustice to canon is we acknowledge that she is described as pretty several times. Arya simply existing as her pretty, important, and non-conforming self is too complex and confusing for people to comprehend 😔.