F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that part of the beauty of all literature is “You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”
The Lonely Chapter:
“A period in everybody’s journey where they are so different because they’ve started to do new things that they no longer fit in with that old set of friends. But they’re not sufficiently developed that they’ve gained their new set of friends.”
– Chris Williamson
The difference with a concrete community of moral calling is that it, at the very least, forces us out of our own individuality in order to learn how to reckon with others. At its best, it calls us to be better than we are.
Understanding this distinction helps us recognize that self-acceptance, self-worth, and the common good depend not on indulging our proclivities or tastes but on growing together with our neighbours into better people.