BOO !!

      What scares (frightens) you?

     Tomorrow is Halloween. Boo! Are you frightened? It is an occasion whose 'meaning' and 'observance' have shifted greatly over the years.  The current 'fears' that mark the  date  derive from  some ominous realities . . . such as persons who put razor blades and other hurtful  substances in the candy given to "Trick or Treat -er's" and real vandalism that masquerades as 'pranks'.  In my youth (which was not, as some allege, the time when dinosaurs roamed the earth), the extent of mischief about which I had knowledge (please, not necessarily the same as participation) included activities such as marking windows with bars of dry soap or overturning outdoor privies.  And there are vague memories of  Halloween 'carnivals' in the school's gymnasium.  Pretty tame stuff.


     Some Halloween historians trace the origins to Samhain, an ancient Celtic celebration that marked the end of the harvest season and onset of Winter and a time when it was    presumed that the distance between the worlds of the living and the dead was thin.  

    Others claim a distinctive Christian origin for the occasion. It was the Eve (evening) before All Saints Day or All Hallowed Eve . . . a time for remembering the Saints, martyrs, and other beloved dead.  Try saying "All Hallowed's Eve" as rapidly as possible several times and what does the sound resemble?

    Perhaps it was but a short step from observances focused on the dead to 'scary stuff'.  Perhaps you have heard the ancient Scottish prayer: 
    "From Ghoulies and Ghosties,
      Long-leggitie Beasties,
      And things that go Bump in the night,
      Good Lord, deliver us."

In our sophisticated era, we don't believe in 'ghoulies and ghosties' and such, do we?  Probably no one reading these words has had an encounter with a real-life 'long-leggitie beastie'.  So, why has this prayer lingered and been recalled for centuries?   Beyond a certain lilt in the prose, I suspect that it has reminded many of their own internal ghosties such as the unknown and things we cannot control, as well as specific fears.

   There is a distinction between  'fears' and 'worries'(aka 'anxieties'). Fears are real or potentially so; anxieties are 'might be's' or 'what if's'.  "Do not walk down the middle of the interstate, there are speeding automobiles there" . . . the probability of being hit is high.   "What if you leave your house?  There are cars outside and one might hit you" is a stretch. Whether spoken or not, 'what if?' is a strong indicator of anxiety. 

   Perhaps only an incorrigible Pollyanna would deny that there are real dangers in the world . Among some obvious candidates : Ebola, ISIS, influenza, bankruptcy, war zones, cancer, unemployment,bullies, deranged persons with weapons, automobile accidents . . .  'Bad things' do happen. . . to 'good' and 'bad' people alike.  A certain prudence or caution is necessary and appropriate.  It is an entirely different matter when those  get ramped up far  out of proportion, whether by someone's   deliberately manipulating our  frailties for whatever motivation or by our own 'hot buttons'.

    So, whether we are opening our door to 'Trick or Treat' or opening our awareness of our 'ghoulies and ghosties', 
maybe this ancient prayer will have  contemporary relevance for us.
  
    Satchel