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There are several factors which appear to militate against
the continuation of rituals,
customs and ceremonies in modern society. The first is the life-style norm in
industrialized and westernized countries. An agricultural existence may be hard, but
it is steady and unhurried. Modern living is fast living. Men and women work perhaps
sixty hours a week in the factory, office or shop. Food imports mean that they are less
dependent on the land, so the old customs connected with fertility and the
propitiation
of hostile spirits, all based in animistic beliefs, have become irrelevant. The climate of
outlook has also changed. The religious and political hold of the old time chiefs has
largely been replaced by democracy, in some cases one of the enlightened religions,
and in others a kind of hybrid of materialism and humanism. So it might seem that the
new will inevitably replace the old, inexorably if not quickly.
In some respects, ritual, custom and ceremony may have a reactionary, indeed at
times positively malevolent influence. The modern world has set certain standards of
human rights, in religion, in sexual and racial parity, in speech, in education, in political
freedom, in freedom of travel. The objective is humane behavior within countries, and
international peace and co-operation. Yet, in certain countries barbaric customs remain,
especially where women are denied equality. Suttee. The harem. Slavery. Female
circumcision. The cutting off of hands for theft. Floggings. Automatic torture, isolation
and deprivation for prisoners, whether political or criminal. There is no place for these
customs in the modern world.
Yet, some customs remain good, and should not be abandoned. The custom of
hospitality to strangers, and of ensuring their safety while they stay with the host. The
custom of giving to the poor. The custom of helping one's neighbor in distress. Many
customs connected with the dead, for example the wake. This ensures solidarity with
the bereaved, and has a strong therapeutic effect. Customs connected with courtesy;
behavior in public and as a guest; good manners at table, the wearing of the correct
dress for a particular occasion. Modern society would be poorer without these things.
Much the same applies to rituals and ceremonies. Where any of these retain a helpful
meaning they are worth preserving. Of course, some have lost their original significance
with the passage of time, and should be discarded. Yet very many, particularly those
connected with religion, remain powerful for good. Religious services are more
meaningful if they include music, colour and movement, and where each action brings
an article of the faith concerned vividly to life. Much the same applies to the coronation
of a monarch, where religion meets power and authority in ceremonial. The fact that
judges wear special robes, and enter court in procession, reflects the dignity of the
law. The same applies to the Speaker's procession in the UK House of Commons. The
same applies to the military ceremonies of Changing the Guard and Trooping the
color. The service for the launching of a ship recognizes the mariner's dependence
on God. There are also worthwhile ceremonies connected with receiving a degree, or
being called to the bar. Wedding and funeral ceremonies reflect happiness or sorrow
and solemnity. Even the All Blacks carry out a Maori war dance before a match, and
they remain very hard to beat !
However modern, practical and enlightened modern society may be, people remain
the products of their ancestry. History has passed on a profusion of rituals, customs
and ceremonies. Some have become meaningless, or are positively inhumane, and
society can do without them. However, probably far more enrich the lives of those
whose existence could easily become barren and humdrum if the past were to be
discarded. |
