A gathering’s blandness is a symptom of a disease. We must treat the disease. And what is the disease? That the gathering makes no effort to do what the best gatherings do: transport us to a temporary alternative world.

I strive to help people experience a sense of belonging.

doing your guests a favor by having a focus.

And we spend much of that time in uninspiring, underwhelming moments that fail to capture us, change us in any way, or connect us to one another.