#Belonging

Belonging is the magic buzzword every organization loves, a ritual that sacrifices personal freedom on the altar of team loyalty. It invites you to applaud the company manifestos while silently bartering away your self-esteem. You reach the peak at sponsored happy hours and corporate retreats, only to plummet into the digital abyss of unread CCs the next morning. The solidarity you earn by giving up your voice is fleeting, collapsing at the slightest hint of organizational change. Ultimately, belonging is an emotional promissory note that may never be redeemed.

Belonging is a social game of finding fellow stooges, and at the same time a testament of bonds laced with the poison of exclusion. We cling to groups seeking security, yet in doing so sow the seeds of rejecting others. What we gain through belonging is applause or ostracism, or often both. Everyone claims to crave independence, yet what they actually seek is subjugation to others. It is truly a communal carnival of shared illusions.