Ritual Celebration

The depth of trauma and its lingering scars reared ts ugly head recently. Images of people standing outside the White House cheering and chanting, "USA! USA!" in reverie over the killing of a human being. Many people saw hatred and a lust for blood. What I saw was a lack of joy and a search for meaning and a cause for celebration. People heal in the ritual sharing of deep emotion. That the only place people really get this is at sporting events demonstrates one of the true great emptinesses in our modern existence. That the cheering of the death of Osama bin Laden sounded like a football game is not surprising. Sport is the one place left for ritual celebration and reverie in our culture.
We need something to celebrate. We want joy. Cry for connection. Yearn for the healing power of ritual. Imagine if we had ritual celebrations - stadium rock/football type fests that ritualized the cheering of peace --- The great work of people who save lives, who change lives, who work to create positive peace in the world. I do not feel more peaceful in the world because some men killed Osama bin Laden. I would feel more peaceful if some men and women had, instead, been working on housing, feeding, and caring for every person in their own neighborhood. Let's chant about that!