Acceptance

Acceptance, in spirituality, mindfulness, and human psychology, usually refers to the experience of a situation without an intention to change that situation. By groups and by individuals, acceptance can be of various events and conditions in the world. Minority groups in society often describe their goal as "acceptance", wherein the majority will not challenge the minority's full participation in society.

From the time we are born, to when we first go to day-care, pre-school, and so on, we are put in different positions where we form relationships with other human beings, and eventually those relationships turn into communities with groups of people in similar situations.

In the very first pages of Block’s book Community he says that “the need to create a structure of belonging grows out of the isolated nature of our lives, our institutions, and our communities” (pg 1. Community). He goes on to talk about how our world has become more isolated, despite the fact of growing globalization, technology, and companies that handle business all around the world.

I see the “need to create a structure of belonging” as nothing more then the need for acceptance in our communities. As children we crave it. Going to great lengths to gain it from our peers, and the ones we see as cools. In adolescent years we do things that we feel we need no ones acceptance because we are finding ourselves. Finally as adults we, in most cases, find it in our lives, with others, and with things we haven done and cannot change.

Yet, with all the technology, and the ability to connect with people millions of miles away, is this helping or harming our desire for acceptance into the communities we belong?

How much easier is it for a person to create a profile online, becoming anyone with any look or history they choose, and then gain the trust and friendships of people all across the world who may or may not be being honest with who they are. Is this convinence a good thing? Are we better people for going into these cyber worlds and reaching out to people all around the world? Or, are we merely hiding behind our screens because it’s so much easier then going out into our communities and getting to know our neighbors and peers.

I worry about our youth and our culture and that their need for acceptance, and their ability to just log on and find that with stranger. Perhaps ties in communities where stronger when people had block parties instead of blogs, where involved in clubs and organizations with meetings rather then chat rooms, and had to go to work in an office rather then from the comforts and security of their own home.

When these things happened then perhaps our sense of community, ans sense of acceptance will grow that much stronger