Our current society is impressive in some ways and severely lacking in others. One especially close to my heart is the complete absence of experiences which confirm for a person their Coming of Age.
When I was 15 and living in China, I was given the opportunity by my father's and mine Wushu Lao-Shi (teacher), to go to a Wushu Monastery to study Kung-Fu.
I visited a Shaolin Temple with my family when we went on one of our vacations. One of the demonstrations for the tourists included a mock battle, telling the story of two monks who attack the palace of a corrupt royal. When one of them is defeated, the remaining monk engages in a heroic struggle eventually engaging the royal's personal bodyguard. Sadly both monks are defeated, but both are honored for their valiant spirits. The story should have moved me more, as it was very sad and noble, but, the fact that I was sitting next to overweight American tourists with gaudy clothing and telescopic cameras, and that the Monks put on the show 3 times a day like a circus act, removed much of the tale's magic.
The flexibility and speed of the monks though was very impressive, and their skill couldn't be dismissed.
The insertion of modern influence was inevitable though. As we were walking along the streets outside of the temple, my brothers and I were immediately drawn to the sounds of combat, ones which we specifically recognized. A group of the young monks were playing Street Fighter 2 in the Temple's video arcade. I found it a little bit disheartening that modern trappings had penetrated into secular Temple life, but, mostly I thought it was cool that young Kung-Fu monks were playing a game where a lot of the moves they could already do.
Ultimately though, the trip to the Temple demonstrated to me, that the kind of powerful enlightment I had imagined I would find in an isolated place of self-exploration and evolution, might not be so forthcoming with the undeniable influence of Capitalist concerns making their impression on Monastic life.
This is probably why I resisted accepting my Lao-Shi's offer. My instincts told me, I might not find the magical inspiration I sought and needed. I thought better to remain with my family and schooling I was familiar with.
I do rather regret it now, considering my schooling taught me little of use, but, I understand the decision I made at the time. I followed my feelings and instincts since I didn't receive much encouragement to follow the path that would contribute most to my growth. Whatever I thought was best was fine. Our society isn't dedicated to making people strong after all, just functional and obedient is what's expected.
Coming of Age Rituals have been an integral part of human cultures since the beginning of human evolution. Ones that impress me include, the Walkabout of the Aborigines of Australia. A young person retraces the songlines of their ancestors alone and unaided, recreating their heroic adventures and discovering their own personal strength in the process. This is similar to what I've heard some African tribes do, where a young person is sent into the desert, to survive alone for a long period of time, with the goal of finding their own sense of purpose and upon coming back, engaging in a ritual to confirm their adulthood.
The Coming of Age Ritual which I like best is the one practised by some First Nation's peoples called The Vision Quest. In it a young person goes into the wilderness to find their Spirit Guide who often takes the form of an animal. The Spirit Guide will be the young person's constant companion and will guide them throughout their life. The young person spends a great deal of time alone with their own thoughts and must find their own answers as to who they are and what their purpose is in life. I think of the Spirit Guide as a manifestation of a person's own sense of selfhood. It gives a physical image for a person to lock onto and call to mind when they find need of the guidance only they can provide themselves. I personally think this is exactly the same phenomenon experienced during prayer in religion. It is a meeting with one's true self, the only one who can provide personal answers, to one's own personal questions.
In modern society, Coming of Age Rituals are empty and devoid of power. Getting a driver's license. Being able to get into a bar. Buying cigarettes or alcohol. Getting into R rated movies. Insignificant and ridiculous tripe, affording nothing for a person's growth and evolution. We must recognize that people need to have Noble Purpose in their lives to feel useful and happy.
Do you remember The Simpsons episode where Lisa has an extraordinary male substitute teacher who takes her to the Egyptian Exhibit at the museum? Homer joins in but finds it inexpressibly boring, thus embarrassing Lisa who finds herself once again wishing she had a different Father. Well, at the end of the episode, the substitute teacher, as was inevitable, leaves to continue his journey of helping to guide the woefully unguided youth of our modern society, but, before he leaves, he gives Lisa one invaluable piece of paper as a parting gift. When Lisa opens the paper it reads simply, "You Are Lisa Simpson." The fundamentally important lesson every person must encounter in their lives : coming to the realization, the understanding, and the acceptance of who one is. A truly wise teacher. I'm sure he aided Lisa immeasurably.
The 2 most important questions anyone must ask themselves are this :
1.Who are YOU? ,and,
2.What do YOU want?
A person who does not know Who they are is only half a person.
It is an unsurprising state though in modern society, since the entire focus of our culture is the outside and a constant cacophony of external stimulation in substitution for the true needs, the human needs which we are raised to ignore and suppress. We are all walking around like automatons and zombies, operating on fixed rails like trains, going from unsatisfying jobs to unfulfilling home lives, because we do not know who we truly are, and what we truly want.
Tattoos and Body Piercings have become extremely popular. Both traditions are as old as humanity and are a part of Coming of Age Rituals. In our society though they have been reduced to novelty and a fashion statement. Just another fad, another distraction without any powerful, penetrating purpose. They used to be symbols of having overcome a life-changing challenge, no longer.
I believe that as a species we must recognize the essential purpose of Coming of Age Rituals in every single person's life.
I feel that one of the biggest problems facing our society is,
"Children are raising Children."
Adults, who have never grown up, are naturally raising children who do not have the benefit of genuine adult guidance, and are thus lost and wayward.
The only way for a child to become an adult is through powerful, self-revelatory experiences.
If we are not content with the emptiness of our modern lives, we need to accept we must once again introduce powerful Coming of Age experiences into our civilization.
For young people, I think it should be a normal part of schooling for a young person to take off as much time as they need, to go on their own personal journey of discovery. What form the journey would take, would be up to the young person.
For adults, the vast majority of which need a Coming of Age journey just as much as young people do, I think our society should introduce a fund which would provide adults with the resources to live, like E.I or Welfare, and the permission to take as much time as they need off of work, to find themselves in whatever manner they see fit.
During my early twenties, when I was debilitatingly depressed and on Welfare, I found a time when finally, after feeling I could not stop running my whole life, I could stop, and truly take time to think about who I am, and what my purpose was. I thought seriously about killing myself, but that was an essential step in coming to an internal sense of balance and purpose, an acceptance of who I was. My resolution was : I either die or change the world. I chose the latter. That kind of powerful decision, Noble Purpose, is essential to a person.
For the human species as a whole to function healthily, it must be comprised of individuals who are healthy.
For humanity to be moving towards a compelling vision, individuals must have a compelling vision of their own to aspire to.
People need food, water, shelter and purpose.
Currently, at any given time, 1 out of 4 people are suffering from a mental illness in our society. Those mental illnesses are actually nothing more than people suffering from a lack of fulfilling purpose and a sense of who they are.
American soldiers are being given truck loads of anti-depressants in Iraq. When the soldiers come home, there is a high percentage of suicide, depression and spouse slayings. These poor people are lost.
Human beings need purpose.
That purpose can be found when sought.
Coming of Age Rituals are journeys to seek that purpose. We must incorporate the Seeking of Self as a fundamental facet of our society once more.
We simply cannot continue to live in this half-human condition.
It is : inhuman.
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