The Third Place

Sometimes I daydream about owning a Village Tavern or Inn that serves as a sort of “social crossroads” for the community. A place where food, drink, and conversation flow freely; where local stories are told and retold, the goings on of the different families and relations are discussed, and the relevant village issues are brought forth and debated.

Such an establishment serves an essential purpose in the community. It allows its members to meet with each other in an inauspicious/informal setting and to truly KNOW each other and to become FAMILIAR; it’s where opinions are brought forth and contested (perhaps even changed); where political, social, and economic issues are hashed out in real time.

We don’t have many such places anymore these days. Bars and restaurants exist, but the “Community” surrounding/supporting them have all but disappeared; either that or such establishments are segregated by social class, age, or other personal identifying characteristics. There is rarely a place in a town or neighborhood that serves as a true meeting place for its people. This lack of social interaction prevents the organic growth and integration of a community that is so essential to its vibrance and vitality.

Of course, such social interactions and conversations can occur in the home or at work. But these places are much more insular and isolated from the rest of the community; people speak to what they know and are familiar with in a dialect that’s inaccessible to outsiders. What we need is a Third Place, separate from home and work, that allows for such spontaneous free flowing conversations to happen amongst all the social strata within the community. Christopher Lasch, the author of “The Revolt of the Elites”, describes such places as an opportunity:

“to mingle on an equal footing with persons from all realms of life, to gain access to larger currents of opinion, and to exercise the rights and duties of citizenship.”

There is no community if its members don’t know one another or are excluded from the table. True conversation, friendly association, neighborly concern, will never develop behind country club walls or our own exclusive enclaves. And so, if I ever do have such a tavern, or inn, or meeting house, I’m going to name it “The Third Place”, and you’re all welcome to visit and join in the conversation.