Our class has gone into great detail on various initiation rights and rituals from all over the world and our discussions have reminded me of an interesting thoughts both self generated and others that I attribute to Mark Twain.
Our class have often focused on physical aspects that mark an initiation but I think that their are mental aspects and I have been contemplating their influence. I would like to explore two of my musings "realization of death" and "Understanding of a subject that leads to a change in an individuals perception". They are very different topics but both can be entirely internalized and are very much private initiation events, both focused within an individual.
Realization of death, This event is I think a major milestone in an individual's life. I think of this event as the time in an individuals life when they realize that death is part of their life and will eventually claim their own life. This event can take many forms to a person and the individual's response can be extremely varied. The event may happen only once or may recur in an individual's life. But I think several aspects can be present in any individuals life, a common example and likely most notable is the death of a friend or family member. This event has a huge impact and at least in my life has influenced me to reevaluate my life and my priorities. Childhood ideally is free from this realization but inevitability I believe that every individual is faced at some time with mortality. Its often not a pleasant realization but I do consider it an initiation that can (and should?, (I think so)) have a great influence on an individuals life. This initiation of understanding marks a change in an individuals life, but this change is often internal.
Understanding of a subject that leads to a change in an individuals perception. This seems like an extremely complex statement but can simplify it using two examples from a work of Mark Twain. This concept was first introduced to me when reading one of his writing for an English class several years ago. The novel focused on several stories that I understand are based on actual events from the authors life when working on a steamboat, (I believe that is where he acquired his pen name Mark Twain). The author brought up the idea that as an individual gains understanding about any subject he also loses some of the how he was initially able to observes the subject. For the authors retelling he focused on two examples.
The Steering of the steamboat requires a lot of river knowledge so that the vessel can be steered away from shallow water and other dangers. Initially the young apprentice has a great love for the rivers beauty and form, but as he gains this vital knowledge on water, its paths, currents, and behaviors his perception of the river is altered. The young helmsman describes it with a sense of loss, when he now views the water he sees the currents and sandbars and his understanding is forever altered. His initial appreciation of the river can never be regained his gained knowledge helps and hinders his perception. When the young helmsmen expresses his feelings on the subject to the senior helmsman he further describes this concept with pity for a male doctor. I paraphrase here " when the medical doctor looks a lovely young lady does he still see her beauty? or does he instead see her face as a collection of healthy tissues and proper bone structure, does he see her lovely eyes or does he examine them (even at an unconscious level) for proper vision?" The author seemed to state that understanding can and often does take away some of the wonder that was the initial spark in an individuals life to pursue the understanding. The young helmsman loved the river and now that he understands the river feels that this understanding hinders him from appreciating the rivers beauty.
I think that this is a personal initiation a change in an individuals life that makes them forever different, the understanding cannot be removed returning things to how they were before. I entered the study biology because I loved plant life and feel that this is especially true in my life. If I look at a beautiful flower before I would have seen only its beauty, now I sees its beauty through a fog of knowledge, its structure, family group, and above all its genetics because that is my specialty.
I think that initiations of this internal nature are just as important if not more important in an individuals life, Because they mark a change in the mind. The part of an individual that leads their behaviors, thoughts, and character. I also think that they are most interesting because the initial event that triggers this change can be entirely internalized only indirectly influencing actions due to a change in character. I realize that in life individuals (myself included) continually experience initiations or changes in their life and these have great influence on a person's internal character dictated by how the individual responds to the initiation.
But these are just my thoughts
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