Reflection 6

Reflection paper #6: Why are rites of passage important? Discuss Facing Mt. Kenya, Sitting Quietly and The Sambia. What is the relationship of rites of passage to formal education?
Rites of passage are informal transition from boy or girl to man or women expressed in many cultures. These rites of passage are very different and varies from culture to culture. Although we may look at other culture’s rites of passage to be dysfunctional and/or strange , they apparently serve what that culture consider to be a valid purpose to their existence. The rites of passage in my culture or others I come in contact with on a regular basis are not as outlandish or far fetched as the ones discussed in the articles. Those rites of passages really challenged my intelligence, common sense, decency and just my reasoning process on a whole. I understand the bar mitzvah that young boys at the age of thirteen go through in order to reach manhood in the Jewish faith. I also understand the quines – a huge party or ball - that a young girl of Hispanic nationality that is fifteen has to initiate her into womanhood. Having a senior prom and graduating from high school and/or college I also consider to be rites of passage in my culture but more on the formal side. Unspoken rites of passage that transforms a person into man or woman hood can be very subtle in just a level of maturity that distinguishes them from displaying childish thoughts and behavior in today’s society. I think in most cases for our culture it is defined as simply coming of age which is congruent with graduating from high school. These very perverse, strange and inhumane rites of passage described in the articles are clearly from a culture that, in my opinion have not evolved with time and has not grasped the understanding that their practices are indeed ignorant, abusive, perverse and detrimental to the health of its members. Enough time should have passed now from generation to generation for someone to see that their practices are holding back the progression of their existence. Even the caveman learned to control fire and reaped its benefits for the greater good and survival of its members. I think education is a great factor in these cultures that will make a great impact for change. I don’t think at this point these cultures can do it on their own without the intervention of other cultures providing them with factual evidence that their rites of passage are nonsensical and/or unjust. Rites of passage is informal learning which consist of expected acts that are learned through your parents and other members of that particular culture. A formal rites of passage is what all of society deems acceptable for an individual and needs to acquire in order to be productive, give back to the community, have a family and be a law abiding citizen such as a high school diploma and college degree. Formal rites of passages are written and are adhered to by all. As an educator I may be introduced to many different types of rites of passage from interaction with my students and I must appropriately respect their right to believe what they do and respect their culture. .