I am increasingly interested in documenting human rituals. My curiosity is animated by observing how we respond to the flood of disparate information in our lives. America’s burgeoning disconnection from truth is disturbing. We are losing the ability to embrace shared rituals, substituting thoughtless canards amplified by social media in place of meaning. At a time when America seems to be losing its way, other societies appear to hold fast to traditional through lines that connect past and present.

Harvard University social scientist, Joan Donovan, has said “information is fast and cheap, knowledge is slow and expensive.” As you celebrate Dia de Muertos, I hope you enjoy the party and also reach deeper to learn about and reflect upon the ritual’s meaning in Mexico and in your own life. I believe that curiosity about other cultures’ rituals can help deepen our interrelatedness, a worthy aspiration in this time of disconnection.