Ritual is another way that human collectives (tribes, societies, etc.) attempt to purge grief communally after trauma. While military tradition may be strong on tradition and ceremony, it's noticeably light on ritual. Ritual is more primitive, primeval, visceral. But it's also got a long, long background, anthropologically speaking, in helping human beings all over the world cope with the benchmarks of life on earth: birth, death, and everything significant in between.
Recently we took a look at storytelling among Native American warriors as a way to address trauma after war communally. Here we hear African tribal elder Malidoma Somé, Ph.D., bridge the gap between first world and third world as he describes a ceremonial "cleansing" ritual in which various men participated. We'll go into more detail on this topic later, and hear about and from those experienced with the popular men's movement in the 80s and 90s, who followed examples such as the one Somé describes -- but in the meantime, let's use this excerpt from one of Somé's books to orient ourselves to some of the benefits of ritual after grief, such as that which warriors -- servicemembers and veterans -- experience:
"The cleansing was happening. So much grief surfaced that ... it was a success. I saw hot tears flowing from wet eyes. That felt good. I heard sincere groans and yells and screams that almost made me feel like I was home again (in an African village). The ritual was working.Even though it was just scratching the surface, the scratch was at least opening something. In a way, there was an invitation to unleash grief. The experience left people empty, light, and -- above all -- miraculously prone to celebrate. I understood why, in the village, life rotates around grief and celebration. People celebrate because they have paid their dues to the dead. The other side of real grief is real joy. Unfinished grief translates into petty joy and silly amusement. The experience taught me a great deal. Without ritual, humans live in nostalgia.
When there is an opportunity for people to mourn their losses, the horizon for rites that heal will be pure and bright, and healing will come pouring into the souls in a great moment of reunion."
-- Malidoma Patrice Somé, from "Ritual: Power, Healing and Community: The African Teachings of the Dagara."
