Jul 5 Sat
What is the use of family traditions and Church rituals?
Rituals do not transport us to a lost paradise. Rather, they provide a contrast that integrates us into our society. And yet, why do they keep disappearing? This gradual decline of ritual does not lead to emancipation or liberation. Instead, it is a consequence of present-day ailments, and above all, the erosion of community.
Traditions and rites are symbolic actions. They transmit and represent values and guidelines that maintain a cohesive community.
Rituals can be defined as symbolic techniques for establishing a home; they transform our 'being in the world' into 'being at home.' Rituals evoke not only periodic ceremonies or gatherings but also the simple greetings we often repeat at specific times and places, the way we wait for and board public transport, and the habit of going to the market and buying from the same vendor.
The rite expands and solidifies the concept of home, providing us with a sense of belonging that allows us to have an identity within that society. Rituals are processes of incorporation into society and material performances that are manifested in the body. Traditions are not merely ideas or words; they are actions that occur in the material dimension and leave behind traces in multiple dimensions.
What we experience when attending a religious service, a sports game, a change of command, a funeral, or a concert, for example, reveals that rituals are symbolic practices that bring us together and foster alliances and community. Certain codes are respected and executed. You don't need to be instructed to follow a behavior. For this reason, the symbolic and ritual aspects mutually reinforce each other.
Traditions are canceled or cease to hold significance when responses become automated or customs are altered. As a result, we face pressure to be authentic; closing rites are diluted, good manners are met with hostility, personal connections diminish, seduction disappears, and pornography prevails. Aspects such as birthday parties, rest, pausing, the ability to concentrate, anticipate, and wait, as well as religion and its practice, are presented as countercultural.
Society can gather itself, but it cannot keep its audience indefinitely. The demands of life do not allow it to remain in a state of gathering. Thus, we need regular alternation and distinction between sacred and profane times.
Almost all societies have created rituals and communal practices to temporarily 'elevate' people to the realm of the sacred, where the ego withdraws and collective interests take precedence. Sharing this sacredness by participating in the rite and reconnecting with societal rhythms serves as an antidote to the functioning imposed by the prevailing virtuality today. Engaging in religious, family, or civic traditions based on common rules and shared milestones can be highly effective.
By applying these interactions and customs that extend beyond the ceremonial, we may be able to counteract the effects of alienation and isolation in the digital world.