Good afternoon. The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is Laura Gillespie of the Humanist Society Scotland.
Presiding Officer and members, I am a Highland-based celebrant with the Humanist Society Scotland. Those words, which describe my location and my identity, make me think of the importance of belonging in a place and in a group. Belonging is what gives us a feeling of security and support; it is about feeling accepted and included.
I spent part of my childhood in Yorkshire, where a seven-year-old little Scottish me was paraded around the classrooms to recite Scottish poetry—not Burns, but “The Sair Finger” and that classic about Kirkcaldy “The Boy in the Train”. Even at seven, I knew that a by-product of that experience would be that I was viewed as different. I spoke with a different accent, and I was not like everyone else. That troubled me. Meanwhile, my younger brothers decided to adopt the Yorkshire dialect, just to fit in.
Then, 28 years later, I moved to the Highlands, and to the shores of Loch Ness. I remember being told, partly in jest, that I would never be a local. That stuck with me, because it reminded me of those old, uncomfortable feelings about identity and difference. I wanted to belong. I also wanted all incomers to be welcomed and seen as having something to contribute. As the philosopher Patricia Churchland rightly said:
“We long to belong, and belonging and caring anchors our sense of place in the universe.”
Before those life events of mine, I had not really thought about what belonging meant, but I was always aware of where I felt comfortable and valued. Sometimes belonging starts with being able to value ourselves, as that can help us to engage most confidently with our families, in our workplaces and in our social and community lives.
However, not everyone believes that they can ever be valued and accepted. It is true that our sense of belonging is influenced by how we feel, think and behave, but it is also influenced by wider societal forces. If belonging is both felt and ascribed, how can we influence both? We can start by being compassionate and reaching out to incomers, just like me, which encompasses immigrants and people who are seeking asylum. We can include people who seem different, just as I was. After all, embedded in humanist values—in those that we all share and live by—are being fair and respectful, and recognising the dignity and potential in all people.
Finally, and just to let you know, I have been accepted in the Highlands. I feel valued in a great small community, where I do belong.
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