Season's Greetings
Everyone dies sooner or later.
Human cultures through the ages have developed ways of coping with that, explaining and structuring relationships between the living and the dead in meaningful ways. Halloween and the ancient festivals that form its background are, of course, part of that.
But at this quarter-point in the 21st century, while the world boils in humanity’s gasses and the U.S. spirals to pieces in a frenzy of fear-induced anger, I wonder what purpose Halloween serves anymore. Do we really need a cultural moment when the dead and the living gaze at one another through the thinnest of veils? After all, terror and death seem to be our everyday companions.
But then again, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Halloween exists because terror and death have always surrounded us, every step of the way. Our pre-historic ancestors saw death around them all the time as they struggled to stay alive on this brutal planet, beset by the elements and disease and wild animals, too.
Imagine, then, the importance of the harvest. As death steals over the earth, you take from the decaying landscape the fruits of summer. Your survival will depend upon these gleanings during the months ahead. If you fail, you’ll die of starvation. Soon. Your kids will, too. Your family
Hell, most of us have it easy by comparison.
Halloween is about containing and channeling fears and concerns about death at an especially tense point in the year. These days, we have our own fears and concerns, even though they differ from those of the past—instead of starvation, we fret over the next virus or the next mass shooting. World War III. The day the AI bots finally take over. That some of our fears may be overblown, or even totally imaginary, is not the point. Dread comes in all shapes and sizes. And it needs to be dealt with.
Anymore, Americans seem to prefer to celebrate Halloween with loud parties and gruesome, violent movies. Past eras which greeted the day with serious rituals or whispered concern are long gone; modern America confronts the moment with bravado, candy bars, and alcohol.
I think, on the whole, this is pretty much as it should be. Like I said, we have it easy—the wolf may be at the door, but who’s to say, really? The boy has raised false alarms so many times in the past that we don’t believe him anymore. Death and disaster are lurking around the corner? Eh . . . yeah . . .well . . . aren’t they always?
So, yeah, one day, I’ll be dead. So will you. So will everyone we know. I guess that's a downer if you think about it. But you don't have to think about it.
Happy Halloween.
Human cultures through the ages have developed ways of coping with that, explaining and structuring relationships between the living and the dead in meaningful ways. Halloween and the ancient festivals that form its background are, of course, part of that.
But at this quarter-point in the 21st century, while the world boils in humanity’s gasses and the U.S. spirals to pieces in a frenzy of fear-induced anger, I wonder what purpose Halloween serves anymore. Do we really need a cultural moment when the dead and the living gaze at one another through the thinnest of veils? After all, terror and death seem to be our everyday companions.
But then again, that’s kind of the point, isn’t it? Halloween exists because terror and death have always surrounded us, every step of the way. Our pre-historic ancestors saw death around them all the time as they struggled to stay alive on this brutal planet, beset by the elements and disease and wild animals, too.
Imagine, then, the importance of the harvest. As death steals over the earth, you take from the decaying landscape the fruits of summer. Your survival will depend upon these gleanings during the months ahead. If you fail, you’ll die of starvation. Soon. Your kids will, too. Your family
Hell, most of us have it easy by comparison.
Halloween is about containing and channeling fears and concerns about death at an especially tense point in the year. These days, we have our own fears and concerns, even though they differ from those of the past—instead of starvation, we fret over the next virus or the next mass shooting. World War III. The day the AI bots finally take over. That some of our fears may be overblown, or even totally imaginary, is not the point. Dread comes in all shapes and sizes. And it needs to be dealt with.
Anymore, Americans seem to prefer to celebrate Halloween with loud parties and gruesome, violent movies. Past eras which greeted the day with serious rituals or whispered concern are long gone; modern America confronts the moment with bravado, candy bars, and alcohol.
I think, on the whole, this is pretty much as it should be. Like I said, we have it easy—the wolf may be at the door, but who’s to say, really? The boy has raised false alarms so many times in the past that we don’t believe him anymore. Death and disaster are lurking around the corner? Eh . . . yeah . . .well . . . aren’t they always?
So, yeah, one day, I’ll be dead. So will you. So will everyone we know. I guess that's a downer if you think about it. But you don't have to think about it.
Happy Halloween.