ABSTRACT
Being with others is an antidote to loneliness. This "traveling to be with others" activity can be called "congregant behavior". If we agree that everyone, or nearly everyone, needs some amount of congregant behavior in their lives, then let us consider what this need has to do with museums and what opportunities it offers us as museum professionals. People go to some crowded events for the pleasurable experiences they hope to find there. Think about the many group activities you have voluntarily participated in. At some, the group's actions were coordinated and synchronous; pep rallies, political rallies, athletic events, musical performances, movies, and religious rituals. American society today still has a sense of responsibility toward the collective whole and toward individual strangers. There is a growing feeling that in order for civility to predominate, we as citizens must balance individualism with group adherence and independence with compliance.
