What Is the Opposite of Isolation?

By Brian Smith

Alright, I love it! A smattering of conversation, albeit over the internet, about belonging, isolation and something else...

Our friend over at DYSKE.COM has responded in brilliant form. He's written another white paper responding to the Taking a Bit of a Philosophical Look at Belonging posted below and to the Belonging Initiative in general.

Dyske has, in my opinion, both challenged and shored our work, in What Is the Opposite of Isolation?

I couldn't help but respond, if you'd like to read my email, it's over here.

The crux of my response is in this paragraph:

"I disagree that you would not feel a sense of belonging, I think you would feel that you belong because you are in relationship with those ten people. The fact that they don't know each other does not effect your sense of belonging. Rather - and we work on this very element at PLAN (www.plan.ca) - the fact that you are in relationship with the others is what binds them together and could, if so facilitated bring them together like no other element could."

And I wished that I'd said '...you being at the centre of this network of friends means that you are making a contribution that no other person is making." But I didn't, so I thought I'd sneek it in here.

Ted Kuntz - pictured here with his son Josh - taught me about, what he called at the time, "the math of life." Here's how it goes (more on this math):

Relationship = Contribution, and
Contribution = Citizenship, therefore
Relationship = Citizenship

Ted has also done some more recent work that is well worth noting you can see more about him and his work at Peace Begins With Me.