Long gone are the days of the vision quest.
No more do we mark the transitions of life by sending our loved ones unprepared into the wilderness. No more do we get the opportunity to take on a wolf, mano a mano. I’d be down. I’d put that wolf in a headlock till it called me daddy.
But even if I have the opportunity to go on a vision quest, it sadly would be of my own accord. No more are these awesome experiences built in to the fabric of our society. What then is an American left to do when they need to mark a significant moment in their life?
GET F*CKED UP!!!
That’s just the way it is around these parts. When we want to mark stages of our life we drink alcohol. Managing to make it to the bathroom without puking in public is the new quest. And the visions will come if you keep drinking for enough years – its called Delirium Tremens.
Image courtesy of Youthink.
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7 Comments
It is sad but you are right.
There is actually a movie that deals with this called Strangeland.
The reason the antagonist does what he does is because there are no meaningful rites of passage nothing that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. Creepy damn movie and one that my kids will have to watch before they are allowed to be online.
Based on that little teaser, Strangeland sounds like a must watch.
It’s Dee Snyder as the bad the guy and he is one sick f*ck.
Dee Snyder of the Twisted Sister fame. That dude is pretty awesome, he is actually real smart too. I used to enjoy his frequent interviews on Howard Stern back in the day.
I don’t know Andrew, I think wandering into Washington Park at 1:30 AM drunk as hell might be considered a rite of passage. haha
I agree that in our social structure, alcohol is unfortunately abused in our celebrations marking events. But not all celebrations require “gettin f*cked up”, like baptism, confirmations, bar/bat mitzvahs. These are all religious events, but they do celebrate a major rite of passage for people.
Haha yeah playing chess with homeless people is no doubt a rite of passage into something. Actually, beating one of those guys at chess has to be a rite of passage – thats why I always go back there and play them in a game when I’m in that area – I have yet to beat them.
Very true about religion. After the wedding I will have gone through 5 of the 7 holy sacramental rites of passage in Catholicism. The only 2 I’m missing are Priesthood & Death.
But against what you said is the fact that the major organized religions transcend societies and historical periods – or rather you find them in multiple and totally diverse cultures.
The post specifically refers to American culture. I honestly can’t think of any rites of passage that are mandatory for all Americans to participate in. Even graduating high school and getting a drivers license aren’t necessarily mandatory rites, even if most people have participated in them.
I guess the road trip is the unofficial rite of passage nowadays – ala On The Road.
Very true, the American way is to get crunked.