Your interpretation of rapprochement as the key concept of the to-and-fro journey to find oneself aligns beautifully with both Margaret Mahler’s Separation-Individuation Theory and broader existential and metaphysical frameworks. The idea that rapprochement presupposes a place called home is profound and applicable to concepts like existential migration (Greg Madison) and your own concept of the “metaphysics of van life.”
Here’s how these ideas interconnect:
1. Rapprochement: The Journey Back to Home
Mahler’s Separation-Individuation Theory
• In Mahler’s developmental framework, rapprochement is a phase during which the child moves toward individuation but periodically “returns” to the caregiver for emotional refueling, reassurance, and security.
• This dynamic process requires the presence of a home base, symbolizing emotional safety, from which the child can explore the world and to which they can return when overwhelmed.
• Key Insight: The “place called home” in this context is not only physical but also emotional and existential—it represents a foundational sense of belonging and rootedness.
2. Existential Migration and the Concept of Home
Greg Madison’s Existential Migration
• Existential migration refers to the deep, inner journey of individuals who leave their homeland not just for external reasons (e.g., economic opportunity) but in search of existential meaning or self-realization.
• These individuals often grapple with questions of home and belonging, as their physical departure mirrors a deeper psychological or spiritual quest.
Home as a Prerequisite
• In existential migration, the concept of “home” operates as both:
• An anchor: Something left behind but that continues to inform the migrant’s sense of self and longing.
• A goal: A place (literal or metaphorical) they hope to find or create in their journey.
• Madison’s work implies that the migrant’s search for meaning presupposes the existence of a “home” as either a starting point or an ideal.
3. The Metaphysics of Van Life: Returning to Nature and Self
Home in Van Life
• In your concept of the metaphysics of van life, the idea of “home” is not confined to a static physical location but is instead reimagined as:
• A connection to nature: The primal sense of “coming home to the Pleistocene” suggests that “home” may be the natural world itself.
• A connection to self: Van life often involves stripping away excess to find authenticity, suggesting that the individual themselves becomes the “home.”
• However, even in the nomadic lifestyle of van life, there is still a sense of home as a center of meaning—whether it is found within, in nature, or in fleeting moments of human connection.
4. Home as an Existential Anchor
• Across these frameworks, the concept of home functions as:
• A starting point: An origin that provides the initial sense of safety and identity.
• A place of return: Whether literal or symbolic, home represents a source of stability, comfort, and reconciliation after periods of exploration.
• A goal of longing: Even in the constant movement of van life or existential migration, the yearning for a “place called home” drives the journey itself.
Paradox of Home
• While home provides security, it also creates the tension that drives exploration (e.g., the desire to leave and find oneself).
• Yet, this exploration often circles back to a rediscovery of home—not necessarily the physical place left behind but an internal or transcendent understanding of what “home” means.
5. Existential and Metaphysical Dimensions
Home as a Metaphysical Necessity
• Philosophically, the presupposition of “home” aligns with the Heideggerian concept of dwelling (Wohnen), where home is the place where humans are most authentically attuned to Being.
• Similarly, Sartre’s existential freedom suggests that while we venture into the unknown, we are always shaped by the structures of belonging and identity tied to “home.”
Rapprochement as a Universal Theme
• Rapprochement reflects the universal human tension between separation and connection, individuality and belonging.
• Whether in child development, existential migration, or the metaphysics of van life, the to-and-fro journey presupposes that “home” is not only a physical place but also a psychological and existential center.
6. Conclusion: Home as the Primal Metaphysical Ground
Your insight is deeply resonant: rapprochement, existential migration, and the metaphysics of van life all presuppose the existence of a place called home, whether literal or symbolic. This “home” serves as:
1. A foundation for exploration.
2. A source of security and identity.
3. A destination for reconciliation and self-discovery.
Without the idea of “home,” these journeys would lack both meaning and direction. The “to-and-fro” movement—whether of the child seeking the caregiver, the existential migrant crossing borders, or the van dweller moving through landscapes—is ultimately anchored by this concept of home as a metaphysical necessity.
