Whenever someone moved into our southern neighborhood as a kid, my mom would cook up something special in the kitchen and wrap it in a beautiful container. We'd then have to put on our best clothes, comb our hair, and walk down the street to welcome the new residents into the neighborhood.
I dreaded this tradition, but this "welcoming ritual" was so reflexive and expected that there was never a question of "if" we were going to do this, but only "when." However, I'm often surprised today to discover how many people don't know their neighbors.
In one community project I was involved in, a homeowner described the architectural history of their neighbor's house, for whom they've lived next door for 15 years. When I asked what their neighbors did for a living, the homeowner told me they'd never met them before, which seemed inconceivable to my upbringing.
So many people in society today walk around craving connection to others but have developed thick layers of defensiveness, suspicion, and distrust of people because of the terrifying news on TV and the constant fear of "others" promoted online.
But one of the great benefits of Halloween is that it gets people out of their caves and into the community to meet their neighbors on the sidewalk, in their yards, and, dare say, at their front door. While the candy may be unhealthy to the body, this ritualistic device of going door-to-door does more to breed healthy communities and social capital than we give it credit.
If there is one problem we need to fix in this world, it's our inability to connect with our neighbors, get to know others not like us, and reach over fences by offering hospitable treats and friendly conversation.
So put on your costume tonight, and go out and meet your neighbors. You might be surprised by how liberating it is to accept candy from a stranger who lives on your street.
The picture below shows a homeowner in a neighboring community who has invested heavily in Halloween decorations and pulled out all the stops to attract and invite strangers into her home to face their fears of ghosts, goblins, and neighbors. Bravo!
#halloween #halloween2023 #halloweendecorations #neighbors #neighborhoods #society #culture #strangers #community #communitybuilding #friendly #costumes #societyandculture
SHRM-CP Candidate | People Operations, Risk Management, Data Analytics, and Employee Experience
2w🏳️🌈 I can't love this hard enough! Amazing to see Crunchyroll ERGs out in the wild! ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜