Belonging In Jean Vanier's Becoming Human

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Jean Vanier’s novel, Becoming Human, explores the depth of human nature and the concepts of loneliness, belonging, fear, and freedom as part of humanity. The given excerpt demonstrates the importance of others and of ‘belonging’ in our journey to becoming human. It explains that a human being is composed of more than just a body and mind; a human being is a person with a heart and love hidden within them. This love helps us to develop relationships and communions with others through shared experiences of joy and sorrow. Through communication, we begin to depend on others and become ‘one’ with the human race. Belonging thus takes away our loneliness by uniting us with other human beings and leads us to freedom. Belonging helps us to become fully …show more content…

In the excerpt, he starts off with the notion of a “human being”. The fact that Vanier uses the term “human being” instead of just saying “human” is noteworthy. The word “being” refers to an entity or something that has existence. The word “human” comes from the Latin word humus, which means the Earth. Thus a human being is a being of the Earth. This idiom is a classification of who we are as a human race, the focus of Vanier’s passage and book. There exist other beings such as animals or spiritual beings, but we are a distinct group of beings grounded to the Earth and each other as “human beings”. It is also a broad concept that encompasses us all; Vanier does not differentiate “between race, religion or capacities” ; he states that “all humans are sacred” and speaks about the journey of becoming human for all human beings. This term is significant within the context of the novel because Vanier explains that we are on a continuous journey to becoming fully human and are not there yet; humanity is developed through belonging. In the passage, Vanier explains that what makes us human beings and ties us together is the ability to love. Human beings possess a heart; a metaphorical place is us that is a part of our existence or being. It allows us to be “one” with others and is special to human beings as they are the only beings that can do

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