The concept or idea of home is an
impactful topic to every person I know, even if it an abundance of home or the
lack of home. Either way the idea of home is impactful and influential.
Attached is a Ted Talk by Pico Iyer where he
discusses the idea of home and the effect movement has upon it. Within his
discussion he speak of the ideas within Wise’s writing, this idea that “home”
is a collection of memories, ideas and habits that are carried with us.
Although Wise does also speak of the actual space and place of home, the concept
of home as this identity within our self is also shown.
“
There is no fixed self, only the habit of looking for one ( likewise, there is
no home, only the process of forming one).” – Wise, pg 303
Wise speaks of
objects within spaces that create the sense of “home”, Pico Iyer also discusses
this idea within his Ted Talk. He recalls a time when his family home in
California was burnt down; all that was left was himself and his family, no
physical items. He says,” If someone would have asked me where was home, I
would say I could not literally point to any construction, my home would have
to be whatever I carried around inside me.” For Pico lyer his home became his
family and himself. Wise calls the people around us “markers”, whom give us the sense of home (pg299).
The
idea of home is different for many people; such as in the reading by Ranjith
Dayarathe and Peter Kellett. These authors give detailed discussions with people
from Santa Marta, Colombia. It was explained that the understanding of home was only
fulfilled by the ownership of land and materials, social standards/acceptance
and the community that surrounds the owned land. Not until a place has all these qualities
would it be considered a home. Yet with Pico lyer’s constant travels, his home
was the memories he held inside him. We all have this ideal society driven
concept of “home”, but there is this constant need within all of us for a sense
of place and belonging in which to call home.
Crystalyn, I think this is a great video that directly correlates to our discussion of home. It really made me think about my own definition of home. I tend to agree with Iyer’s definition of home when he explains “home is the place where you become yourself.” When I think of “home” I do not think of the place I was born, but rather I think of where I received my undergraduate degree. Bowling Green is home to me because it is where I grew up and learned how to be on my own; not to mention, it is where I found myself (as cliché as that sounds). The sense of friendship and community I received there is what makes BG my home, not the material objects in a house.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you explain, the reading by Dayarathe stresses the importance of ownership. These people from Santa Marta said they did not have a home because they did not own land and there shelter did not match society’s ideal of a home. So why can I see BG as a home without actually living there, but these people who have lived in same place for decades not feel at home? Perhaps I can see BG as a home without actually having a shelter to live in because I do have a permanent home in Youngstown that matches society’s ideal of a home: it is owned by my parents and filled with numerous objects that showcase our family’s culture and beliefs. Iyer does say in his TED Talk that “movement only has meaning if you have a home to go back to.” Maybe one needs to feel like they have a home that matches society’s ideals in order to begin to see other places and things as home. That’s just one thought, I would love to hear more opinions!
ReplyDeleteLast year, I struggled with my personal definition of the term “home”. I was a first year student in Athens and was pretty shy. I didn’t make friends too easily. I went back to Lancaster (the town I’m from) to see my family but something always felt out of place.
When I would go home, things would always be different than I’d left them. Of course, it was unrealistic and selfish to expect that my family stop living while I’m away. But anyway, when at “home” I’d have trouble finding things I ordinarily could easily locate, I found myself cleaning up messes I hadn’t made, and never could get comfortable in the short time I had each time I was there. I would go and see my high school friends but often found myself feeling left out of the new inside jokes and stories that developed while I was away. So, I spent a lot of time in my room studying or playing guitar. It was the one place that felt like a safe haven. But one weekend when I returned, my brother had moved most of his stuff into my room. It was a mess. Nothing was where I’d left it, I couldn’t find my mail, there were empty tea mugs everywhere. The minute I walked into my room, the feeling of home was ripped away from me. The space that had all my paintings, books, maps, rocking chair, guitar, and everything no longer felt like it was mine.
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time figuring out the concept of “home”. While I had many arguments with my mom to try and redeem my room. Eventually I realized that Lancaster was no longer my home. While I love my family dearly, I began to understand that my feeling of home was more internal. I found my place in Athens and got involved in different activities. I made friends. I figured out what I needed to be doing with my life. My sense of home stems from my sense of self-worth. Once I began achieving the things I’d hoped to, I began to feel the empty space in my life fill in. Home is no longer a place to me, but a feeling I get from being where I want to be in life. My achievements have become the “markers” to build my home. This post reminded me of the struggle I had and how long it took to figure out what I was missing so I thought I’d share this. Sorry this didn’t correlate as well as I’d hoped!