Global belonging means experiencing ourselves as an integral part of the Earth.

Belonging to one group can come at the cost of other people’s safety and belonging.

A sense of global belonging may encourage care for the planet and our fellow humans.

Feeling part of the Earth need not displace belonging to a nation, culture, or community.

Maybe our sense of global belonging is a matter of perspective. Zoom out, and a viewer might see something as complex as a sprawling ant colony: humans building infrastructure and working collectively, laying foundations for homes where they hope to live safely on the singular haven we call Earth, spinning on its axis in a cold, heedless universe. Inhabitants must surely be united in the protection of one another on the planet they share.

But zoom back in, and our viewer might be shocked to see violence directed at people because of where they live and the destruction of homes, schools, and communities: people killing other people.

It's all about perspective.

For much of history, humans lived in small groups, as families, clans, and tribes. The need for a sense of global belonging may have been less apparent to people who lived their lives close to their birthplaces. Pre-industrial humans had limited impact on their planetary home and its inhabitants. Still, a sense of global........

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