a community of the right size

happiness is in choosing a community that isn’t too big.

people stay in the places they come from so they have something to hold on to. you can’t live without something to hold.

four years later i still believe it. but someone pointed out that mass rituals are deeply human. big concerts, football matches, anything with a crowd that moves as one. step away from all of them and you cut yourself off from a part of shared human experience.

a night in a club convinced me they were right. belonging to a crowd gives a basic feeling of safety. it strengthens something underneath.

so the rule has a footnote:

• live in a small community.
• visit a big one now and then.