Shopping Malls

It is that time of year when there is one place no one wants to go yet most everyone does. Me included. Shopping malls. Depending upon the specific mall, their scale of congestion ranges from madhouse all the way up to "absolutely nuts." The hustle and bustle of shoppers of all ages only adds to the apparent chaos that seems to reign at these centers of holiday hunting. Trying to find a parking place. Long lines. People juggling packages and bags and their own winter coats. Children waiting in line to have a few last-minute words with Santa Claus. And the shoppers themselves scurrying about with expressions that suggest annoyance, frenzy, concern, and commitment all at the same time. It is another holiday season at the shopping mall.

Despite all that, it is a funny thing about shopping malls, particularly during the holiday season. Order prevails. Workers carry out their tasks with purpose. Shoppers actually accomplish their goals. Things get done. Yes, it may take longer than most of us would like. The atmosphere itself may at times seem on the brink of total collapse. Yet workers do work. Shoppers do shop. Missions are accomplished. On the surface that may seem like a minor miracle given the frenzy at the shopping malls. And maybe it is. But I think the success of shopping malls is more basic than that: everyone has a purpose that is well defined, communicated and ultimately carried out.

These modern-day marketplaces are actually highly-functional. Without question, they have every reason to collapse under the weight of humanity that descends upon them every day from morning till night. But they don't. As odd as it may sound, in a certain way they represent the best of us as people. We go to them with our own goals, interact with our fellow shoppers in a cooperative manner, collaborate with the workers who facilitate our efforts, and then return to our dwellings a bit tired but generally satisfied. The shopping malls represent the reality that millions of men and women can and actually do work together successfully to achieve their own ends while helping maintain the existence of shopping malls that function for the benefit of all.