We are coming to the end of January so there are just a few more daily prompts for this challenge left. I have contributed most days and hope to continue till the end! Today’s word, ‘congregate‘ comes from Fandango.

It’s human nature to congregate in small or large crowds. Often similar people congregate together. You will often find that expats from the same country will congregate together, at church and clubs, or even live in the same neighbourhood. We also tend to gather in groups where everyone has a common interest and that is why ‘clubs’ are formed. The word congregation is used to describe a group of people in a church and of course, they congregate because of their common faith.

The instinct to gather together with like-minded people probably came about for survival reasons as strong bonds are formed and people learn to work cooperatively. This can be an advantage but if taken to extreme it can lead to those who don’t quite fit in being shunned. This happens in certain sects where you could be excommunicated if you do not obey the leaders or question their doctrines. 

I am usually not one who likes to be in large crowds of people, preferring smaller groups of friends at a time. But gathering in a very large crowd can be great fun. I did not grow up going to rock concerts and thought I would definitely not enjoy it. However, when I went to one I was thoroughly caught up in the excitement and joined in the dancing, cheering, and singing along with everybody else. Being amongst other people can change your mood and your attitude to some things.

Many people were traumatised during the Covid Pandemic as they were not able to congregate with others. Their mental health was affected and some are still suffering anxiety since that time. On the day that we were all allowed out to exercise for a limited time, the streets in my town were crowded with friends meeting and greeting after such a long time of isolation. The relief was tangible. 

Now that things are virtually back to normal some companies are still encouraging their employees to work from home. This can be both a good and a bad thing. I have two daughters who have this privilege. One loves it and goes into the office as seldom as possible. The other goes in as often as possible as she really misses the interaction with people. I really believe there should be a good balance between the two and that if you don’t go into the office at all you need to make some time to gather with people. For working parents working online can be awesome. Most people say they are way more productive when they have this option.

This past weekend we had six Air BnB guests to stay. That for us, is quite a congregation! But what fun we had as they were fishermen and therein lay the common ground! They opted to share meals with us and they provided the fish and I did the sides! Congregating with like-minded people is the best!