Human beings are curious things, no doubt. Passionate, puzzling, sometimes peaceful and sometimes perturbed.
For many of the things that we find ourselves involved in on a daily basis, there may truly be no rational explanation.
Why did you decide to yell at the driver in front of you this morning? Did you think it would somehow improve your life, or the world?
Why did you choose to give money to that homeless guy on the street when you know he’ll be there tomorrow doing the same thing and making you feel guilty all over again?
You see: many things about us just don’t really add up logically. It’s a reality that we have to deal with. It’s messy and complicated, just like us.
Which leads to the question of this article: Why do we party? Why do we spend our time, money and energy on planning and executing a get-together that celebrates certain days, people or seasons? After all, we know that the event is only going to last for a few hours, and then the decorations will be tossed out. Isn’t it just a big waste of resources?
Ultimately, the answers depend on who you ask. There’s a minority that might feel it is a waste of resources. They would argue that everyone would be better off just going to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep.
But not you. You believe in celebrating the important moments in life. You believe in celebrating the people in your life that mean the most to you. You believe that a party is a very natural way to reconnect to the people, places and things that truly make your life worth living.
A birthday party is an opportunity to express to another human being that they matter, that they are loved, that your world wouldn’t be the same without them, and that you are grateful that you have had another year with them.
A Halloween party is often a time to focus on connections and community, crossing paths again with those neighbors that you might need in your life for one reason or another…or who might need you at this very moment.
A Christmas party is a chance to celebrate life and possibly be reconnected with those best parts of ourselves that can too easily be forgotten and neglected in the insane hustle of our lives. It’s an opportunity to recommit to kindness, compassion and acceptance as our way of life.
Why do we party? We party to remind ourselves that there really are so many people and things to be grateful for in this life. We party to remember that connection with others is where life truly happens. We party because life itself should be a celebration, and sometimes it should involve streamers and balloons and cake and really obnoxious noise-makers.
We party because we are human, we are here, we are alive, we are connected and we are thankful. We party to EXPERIENCE life, not just to live it.