9 December 2009
Group 5: Give us our Daily Bread
Our group discussed the number of rituals that went along with this week’s video and study guide. Here are the rituals we identified in the video:
1. Opening Prayer
2.The ritual sharpening of the blade
3. The ritual nature of clearing the fields
4. The communal meal
5. Washing the hands
6. The ritual of adornment, (big in Hindu mysticism)
7. Having ice cream
8. Shopping as a family
9. Making Tortillas in the old style (connection to the old ways)
10. The song (is that the same tune as before?)
11.The ritual of communion
And the final minute ties all of these rituals together in a montage, ending with his fadeout arms high in praise, while the crops remain.
1 and 11 are the explicitly Christian rituals.
3,8,9,10 are all ritual reminders of the old ways and of heritage.
1,2,4,5,6 are all rituals that may remind the family of an even further off heritage, connecting them to the peoples of the Hebrew Bible.
7 is a ritual that connects them to American Culture.
Okay, then the in the Faith Conversation on Immigration:
1. The ritual of prayer
2. The ritual of scripture reading and application of verses
3. The legeslative ritual
4. Some formational rituals including-discussion
5.-reflection (particularly on videos)
6.-perspective questioning
7.-and identification of personal feelings and their roots.
4-7 are rituals that show up often in other facets of life, often in psychology.
1-2 are religious.
3 is a civil ritual, but also a religious one.
We went on to talk a little about how ritual exists with meaning insofar as it is unpacked. Several group members mentioned that without the meaning behind a ritual uncovered, it is not worth much. Within the context of immigration it was mentioned that various rituals (done by both the immigrant and the so called “native”) serve to remind us of our unique heritage, remind us of our common heritage, and open up a space that god can fill in our lives no matter who we are. Suzanne quoted Practicing Our Faith : “To welcome the stranger is to acknowledge him as a human being made in God’s image; it is to treat her as one of equal worth with ourselves – indeed, as one who may teach us something out of the richness of experiences different from our own.”
The other main theme that we discussed is that of the independent, often contrary, and pervasive rituals of consumerism that we encounter in modern culture. Particularly in the context of the immigration debate, I think we all agreed that it is important to look at the way our rituals of consumption were perpetuated, and what they were, in end effect, resulting in. Victor Lebow famously said, “Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life that we convert the buying and selling of goods into rituals.” Our group all felt that it was time to question these rituals, to make sure that they weren’t causing harm to the ourselves, to the stranger abroad, and the stranger in our midst.
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11 December 2009 at 11:02 am
Group Five,
I think it is interesting that you discussed consumerism within the context of this focus. I see it totally appropriate and relevant. So often we don’t think of where our food and material items come from and it if it is offensive in regards to lack of fair price.
This summer at LutherCrest we had someone come and speak to us from LWR about coffee and fair trade. I had been aware of this problem, but this presentation was still eye opening to how our consumerism and lack of knowledge of fair trade effects others.
When we buy things like coffee that are labeled fair trade, not only are the farmers getting the best price for their coffee, but jobs are being created and well being within their communities.
Thanks for your insights into ritual and the ritual buying has become!!
11 December 2009 at 11:35 am
Victor Lebow famously said, “Our enormously productive economy…demands that we make consumption our way of life that we convert the buying and selling of goods into rituals.” Our group all felt that it was time to question these rituals, to make sure that they weren’t causing harm to the ourselves, to the stranger abroad, and the stranger in our midst.
I agree that our society is consumer fueled, but I don’t necessarily agree that it is a ritual. Some people don’t buy into the consumerism that is America. I feel uncomfortable using our language on that discussion. With that said, I agree that consumerism needs to be looked at in relation to immigrants and their working lives. My question to you all is this: How do you propose that America does on this issue?
11 December 2009 at 1:01 pm
JBixby001 says...
I don’t think America does very well at all. The notion that these people exist either to get out or to get working is alive and well. For a nation founded on immigrants, we are remarkably insensitive to their plight, or to treating them like full humans. Realistically, the problem begins in the global economic sphere far before the immigrant ever leaves his country of birth and finds his way here, when the global economy conflicts with his local one, and reduces many in his country into poverty.
On the topic of ritual, there was a fascinating article in the Times Magazine this week about “The Year in Ideas.” There they cited a study which found that after giving half a group sunglasses out of a case marked “Authentic” and half out of a case marked “Fake,” the fake sun glass wearers (same sunglasses in reality, by the way) went on to falsify their answers on a test at an alarming rate more than the authentic test group. The researchers findings were that on a subconscious level we exist in our social context only so far as we believe we deserve, and our social context, overwhelmingly, is that of consumption. I think we really don’t assess what psychological damage we do to one another in the process of objectifying and quantifying them for a market economy, and if there is ever anyone who gets hurt by such an exchange, it most certainly is the lowest rung of our ladder.
12 December 2009 at 11:26 am
The story of the migrant worker reminds us that we too are transient in our life here on earth. We are a family of workers in the field here on earth – together – and we too have rituals as does the family in this video. What really struck me was that this family sees God in every aspect of their lives – especially in the work that calls them away from their native land. But they never forget from where they came and where they will return. They bring with them the traditions/rituals of their homeland and the traditions/rituals of their faith. Their roots run deep and strong. Christ is very much alive and active in this family. In this video, I see God as a verb – not a noun. This was a beautiful video.