[책의 향기]Make on a regular basis life nice… A human being who passes by way of ritual and reaches transcendence

2024-05-25 06:02:18

From weddings to harmful non secular ceremonies… Introduction to the worth and performance of formality in human historical past
The human nature of solidarity and seek for that means… Makes you dedicated to a trigger by way of a way of belonging
◇People lengthy for ritual/Written by Dimitris Gigalatas/Translated by Kim Mi-seon/408 pages, 20,000 gained, Minumsa

Rituals give that means to strange day by day life, allow a satisfying life, and strengthen the solidarity and cohesion of the group. College students celebrating commencement by throwing their commencement caps at a college commencement ceremony in the US (high picture) and the hearth strolling ritual in San Pedro, Spain. Picture supply: Pixabay, Wikipedia

You’ll be able to change into a pair with out having a marriage. You’ll be able to graduate from college with out having to go to the commencement ceremony. However why are so many individuals obsessive about this ritual? In lots of components of the world, distinctive rituals corresponding to strolling on burning charcoal or leaping from tall timber are held, leading to many accidents. Why do you do such a reckless factor?

The creator, who’s from Greece and is a professor of anthropology on the College of Connecticut, was strongly impressed by the pilgrimage procession he noticed in his residence nation when he was younger. Contributors crawled up the excessive stairs to the church with blood streaming down their palms and knees. Though that is an act primarily based on religion, many rituals that aren’t related to faith additionally impose a excessive stage of struggling. Generally it appears weird or pointless. The creator’s predominant curiosity is ‘Why have rituals continued and never disappeared, and what operate have they got in human society?’

Rituals additionally exist on the particular person stage. Tennis participant Nadal goes by way of a routine paying homage to somebody with obsessive-compulsive dysfunction earlier than a match. On the sector, all the time cross each line along with your proper foot first. “They’re a means of organizing issues in order that the order I search in my head matches what’s round me.”

Nonetheless, it’s after all the ‘collective’ rituals the place rituals thrive and are necessary. The creator explains that the theatricality that accompanies collective rituals awakens the senses and transforms the on a regular basis and strange into one thing extraordinary. It is a second when your physique feels prefer it’s shaking from the cheers you hear at a live performance corridor or sports activities stadium.

Nonetheless, it isn’t simple to grasp why harmful rituals corresponding to strolling on fireplace persist. In San Pedro, Spain, the creator was tricked by native residents into truly strolling on fireplace. He explains that with every step he took, his worry gave strategy to reduction and pleasure, and he skilled a robust sense of happiness that continued day after day. The stronger your immersion, the extra your self expands and the extra you expertise a transcendent sense of unity with the group.

This sense of unity has a optimistic impact on the group. Teams that demand a excessive stage of loyalty are inclined to require pricey initiation rites. It’s because people who take the dangers required by the group really feel a stronger sense of belonging and change into dedicated to the group’s trigger.

Rituals additionally exist in fashionable organizational life. Conferences, breaks, and events skilled at work are additionally rituals that strengthen organizational solidarity and facilitate human relationships.

Nonetheless, delving into the operate of formality doesn’t imply that the creator agrees with all of those rituals. The creator warns that “collective rituals, like Nazi navy parades, can lead down a darkish path.” It reminds us that humanity immediately is vastly completely different from only a few a long time in the past, and that rituals solely have that means when carried out in an applicable context.

“Rituals are a primal a part of human nature that assist us join, discover that means, and uncover who we’re. “We’re a ritualistic species,” is the creator’s conclusion. It is arduous to have any objections after studying this e book. This isn’t stated ‘ceremonially’.

Yoo Yun-jong, cultural reporter [e-mail]

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2024-05-25 06:02:18