Ceremony

Ceremonies seem to hold a key in our existence. Just recently we had the inauguration of the President of the United States. Lots of people stood in the cold to hear a few words repeated by an individual, it was a ceremony that signifies a change. Many of these ceremonies revolve around some type of religion, some around traditions and some around family. Think about all the ceremonies you have participated in.

Baptism
Graduation
Marriage

And of course Funerals, all of these are based in religion.

The military has some great ceremonies.

Enlistment
Promotion
Retirement

They are based on needs which turned into traditions.

Families have ceremonies.

Birthdays
Anniversaries

These are based on celebrations.

All these ceremonies have a role in different lives. Ceremonies Signify Change for a group of people. A beginning, a progression, an end. Ceremonies are the signposts for all that attend. Ceremonial sign post allow you to follow an individual’s life. Born, Baptized, Graduated, Married, and Retired.

There are ceremonies that I can watch over and over. A military change of command ceremony, with the parade, is magnificent. It is an old military method that tells the troops that they have a new commander. It is a type of Inauguration for military folks.

In this day and age of electronic communications, most of the troops got an email or an instant message saying they got a new commander, but before now, the change of command ceremony was key to getting out information. The change of command is still a reason for lots of people to gather.

In the Washington DC area, military retirement ceremonies not only inform the masses that someone is no longer in the chain-of-command, but is also advertises that the retiring individual is available to become a contractor.

But what if? What if we stood up and cast off any religious associations. That means we would do away with baptisms, weddings and funerals.

With technology we can get rid of a few more ceremonies. In this day and age, with all the electronic messaging, we could do away with lots of ceremonies. With all the SMS capability we can do away with marriages, and let us be honest, we didn’t need the baptism.

Hop on your Facebook page. Tell the world that you have a roommate/housemate/soul mate. Send me a video when there’s a birth. When the emails stop coming in, I’ll assume the inevitable.

BS! - It won’t work for me! Ceremonies signify magnificent changes. They also provide us time to reflect, to give praise, to gather and renew our ties. Ceremonies also tell you when something begins and something ends within the ceremony.

At a wedding, when a particular song is played – here comes the bride – everybody shuts up and pays attention to the event. And when the reverend says, I now pronounce you man and wife – you know you can go home, the event is over.

At military events you can tell it begins when someone says “Attention!” It usually ends when someone says “Dismissed!”

Think about it just for a minute…. How do you know when something begins and something ends? Is it a statement like “All rise” or “dearly beloved”, or perhaps it is the ringing of a bell, or starters pistol. Ceremonies guide us.

AND (This is pretty important) - In the case of retirements and funerals the ceremonies provide us that opportunity to honor the achievements of the individual. When formalized, these ceremonies mandate that someone spend time, conduct research, and talk about the individual who retires or dies. Some one stands up and reads the sports page of an individuals life – all their successes. Too often I’ve walked out of a retirement ceremony or a funeral hearing people comment “I didn’t know that about him/her.

Admittedly your life will probably not be affected by the fact that someone you know or touched rescued people from a burning building, or administered first aid, or provided mentor-ship to the next generation. But without the ceremonies, no one will take the time to write the best man’s toast, the citation for heroism or merit, or the eulogy. Without some formal ceremony the schedule is lost, the participants wander, the extensive achievements of an individual will only be known by a few and maybe those are the only folks that need to know. Without a ceremony how will we know where the butterfly effect began or transitioned.

Now, let’s look at the other side of the ceremony coin. No ceremony required.

After writing this I thought about some folks, who I consider close, that didn’t have a ceremony, or it wasn’t very big. My wedding was attended by a minister, his wife and two couples who were our friends. It was simple and quick, we had a beginning and end. It was inexpensive and no one had to get on an airplane or find a motel. The downside was that I found out that there were people that wanted to participate in this event. They wanted to gather and renew ties and develop new ones. They wanted to participate in change and help if they could.

So what is the Bottom Line: Every ceremony is a celebration. Even a funeral is a celebration. Celebrations and ceremonies are personal and you need to decide what you want. There aren’t any rules even though I’d like to see some. P.S. I’d like an invite – I might not make it, but I’d like an opportunity to gather, celebrate, and renew ties. With a little luck I’ll get my priorities straight and I’ll show up.