As we costume ourselves as creatures of the dark and other assorted characters this Halloween, one of the core traditions of this holiday is to scare each other.   We have a library of films that we have screamed and jumped out of our seats at that are perfect fare to get into the spirit of this weekend.  How many pranks have been played to spring a good old fashioned BOO! on an unsuspecting friend or stranger.

How about the hundreds of haunted houses with their many dark corners and gory scenes that have frightened countless victims to a quick exit who have made their ten bucks entrance fee?

Yes, everyone seems to dare the demons of the night to “Fright me!”

Why?

Truthfully, whatever hellish nightmare imagined on this feast of the ghoulies is nothing compared to some of the frightening realities of the real world.

Nothing compares to the horrors and fear that warfare continues to ravage in many countries.  Nothing is scarier than neighborhoods- where walking down a street is a crap shoot of either being shot at, robbed or beaten up. No face is scarier than the ramblings coming from the face of bigotry and racism.

Yes, the real world makes any haunted house look like a tranquil oasis.

So this Halloween let us escape into the ghostly imaginations of witches and goblins and have fun! Let us play with our fears in a fun way and enjoy some respite from a scarier place…the real world!

Happy Halloween!  Trick or Treat!