Braving the Wilderness
True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us
to be who we are.’ Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, LMSW has sparked a
global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our
lives – experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame
and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to
truly belong in an age of increased polarisation. With her trademark
mix of research, storytelling and honesty, Brown will again change the
cultural conversation while mapping out a clear path to true belonging.
Brown
argues that what we're experiencing today is a spiritual crisis of
disconnection and introduces four practices of true belonging that
challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She
writes, ‘True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to
ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in both being a part
of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture
that's rife with perfectionism and pleasing and with the erosion of
civility, it's easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or
fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness
of uncertainty and criticism. But true belonging is not something we
negotiate or accomplish with others; it's a daily practice that demands
integrity and authenticity. It's a personal commitment that we carry in
our hearts.’ Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our
way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right
through the wilderness. Brown writes, ‘The wilderness is an untamed,
unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as
dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is
feared. But it turns out to be the place of true belonging and it's the
bravest and most sacred place you will ever stand.’
