Seeing all of the people out in droves for Halloween, parents and children and others, made me realize. This is the most normal and healthy day. There is community spirit, there are people out enjoying themselves, there is life and happiness. Too bad it usually only happens once a year in most places in modern America.
For most of human history, people lived together in community. The days were tied to the fields, the fields to the seasons, and the seasons to the gods, or God. It was hard but meaningful. Fasts were balanced by festivals. People socialized for work, for worship, for pleasure, and for survival. The towns, villages, and cities had their places to gather- mead halls, taverns, pubs, cafes, temples, churches, or parks. In some communities, there was a sacred tree, or some type of traditional and mythical gathering spot.
Only in recent decades, have people moved relatively far from each other into sprawling suburban neighborhoods. Add to this dispersed geographic situation the social isolation, fragmentation, and polarization of modern America, where people are often hunkered down in their homes, spending non-work hours in an apathetic, screen-dominated, trance-like and fatigued existence. It combines to make Halloween a pleasant anomaly, the most normal day of the year.
More physical activity.
More play.
More tradition.
More socializing.
More time outdoors away from screens.
More neighborliness.
Why not make every day more like Halloween?
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