What Can We Do If We Feel Out Of Place?

1 Question: “I have always had a strong sense of feeling out of place and 'not belonging' - this feeling has been with me since I was a young child. I feel comfortable with nature and the animal kingdom but not with people. I'm nearly 40 and have definitely never found my feet or my place in the world. I have never […] 1 Question: “I have always had a strong sense of feeling out of place and 'not belonging' - this feeling has been with me since I was a young child. I feel comfortable with nature and the animal kingdom but not with people. I'm nearly 40 and have definitely never found my feet or my place in the world. I have never formed intimate adult relationships, am socially avoidant, and have never found a fulfilling career. I feel a constant sense of being uncomfortable in my own skin and that something is 'missing', I just don't know what. I do meditation which has eliminated much anger I carried around yet mostly I still feel uncertain and lost. How do I find some sense of lasting purpose, direction, or place in everyday life when I have always felt so displaced from it?” Response: Finding a sense of lasting purpose in life can be different from feeling like you belong. You may well discover that in living your dharma, you still feel separate from the values of your society. That is perfectly all right. Some of history’s greatest artists and visionaries never quite fit their times. Your primary focus should be on finding what you love to do and what you excel at. You mentioned animals and nature, so you have a general sense of what direction you need to look. By doing what you are meant to do, you will not mind as much whether you fit in with others or not. Love, Deepak