Belonging

We like it when we know who we are, where we are in life.

Identifying with an idea, a family, a group, almost anything, makes us feel validated and safer. I don't know if it is part of our pack mentality, or just the security of knowing we are not alone.

But knowing anything for certain is bound to be right up our alley

We want to know the name of our illness. Even if the doctor can't treat it any better than he did before he could tell us what it was. We are a cancer victim, or an osteoarthritis patient. We have allergies, or we are bipolar. Naming it seems to be almost as important to us as treating it.

When asked who we are, most of us will tell people our name, but then go on to reveal that we work here or there, or belong to a particular club, or are members of a certain church.

Perhaps we are fishing for commonalities. Maybe we are fishing for one up-man ship. Possibly we are just establishing our credibility.

Whatever it is, people seem to like naming and belonging.