DAY 311 - HALLOWEEN AND CONNECTEDNESS

Day 311

Last night was halloween night.  As always,  there was a lot of preparation involved.  First, my daughters had to decide what they wanted to dress up as.  This year, my youngest chose to be a cheerleader, while my oldest dressed up as a cowgirl.  Then, we had to decorate our front yard.  We also needed to buy the appropriate accessories (halloween bag, make up, etc,) to complete the costume.   The ritual of the halloween preparation is even more exciting for my children than the actual event.

This year, as we did last year, we passed halloween at my brother's house.  He lives in a gated community so, every year, his wife Nathalie and him organize for all the parents and children of his neighbourhood to meet up in front of his house to pass halloween.  We must have been around fifty people walking together last night.

As I was walking and talking with my sister-in-law Lynda, she told me how great she though it was to see so many kids dressed up, running together from door to door.  She spoke about the fact that my brother and his wife had managed, through this annual tradition, to really create a sense of community that has disappeared in most neighbourhoods.

We live in such an individualistic society that we tend to forget that creating a sense of community can positively impact everyone's life.  When I was young, my neighbours regularly came over for coffee or tea.  I greet and chit chat with my neighbours, but no one comes over for afternoon tea.   It's not that I wouldn't want, but it seems like it's no longer the way we do things.  Maybe we feel we're too busy.

Last night reminded me, once more, of how important it is to belong to a community, whether it is through friendships, family, work or an organization (religious or not).  In fact, many specialists believe that the erosion of communal connectedness in our cities, towns and neighbourhoods is the cause of the downfall of human happiness. People are feeling more and more isolated.  Connecting with people and belonging to a community can break that isolation and give a real meaning to life.

I have many friends and I'm very close to my family,  but last night made me realize that maybe I should take the time to connect with the people I love more often... no matter how busy I think I am.

“The lack of social contact, the lack of sense of community, may be the most pressing social problem of the new millennium.”

Robin Dunbar, famed British anthropologist