Not out of choice, but seemingly overnight, all of our social patterning was completely interrupted. The pandemic was a social X-ray for many of us. What happened to us over the past few years? Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. In a wide-ranging and challenging conversation, we discussed our ritual-starved culture, the importance of deciding what kind of community you want to be part of, and practical steps toward integrating (or reintegrating) gathering into our lives. I talked to Parker by phone, asking about creating the practice of being an “artful gatherer” in our everyday lives. Knowing this, I wanted to discuss the new art of gathering with Priya Parker, whose wonderful book The Art of Gathering challenges readers to think about what makes a gathering - a work event, a wedding, a pizza party, a rave - into a smashing success. Yet gathering in some form is essential to our social, mental, and even physical health humans aren’t meant to exist without community. Or we feel like we’ve forgotten the social scripts that governed our interactions. Not just because people have varying levels of comfort and ability to gather the disruption to our normal life patterns have left some of us feeling drained of our past ability to socialize for days on end. What do you wear? Who will be there? What will happen while you’re there? When will everyone go home?Īnd now the pandemic has thrown an extra wrench into things. Even when times are normal, figuring out how to host - or attend - a gathering can be fraught.
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