|
i think some people ask because they have this idea that initiation = hazing. when people talk about gang initiation, it is usually a series of crimes that a person has to committ in order to be a part of the gang. with some cults, initiation involves drinking blood of animals, etc. unfortunately, this is all the general public sees as initiation. in the world of glos (and i am making a general statement that i hope covers all of us), initiation is very different. it is more akin to a wedding ceremony with the symbols and meanings of the particular glo. if someone walks up to me and says, "i am going to be initiated into xyz sorority," i don't say, "oh no, what are they going to make you do?" instead, i say, "wow, that is great. you are going to have a wonderful experience." i don't need to know the specifics of that glos ritual to know that that person is going to have an amazing experience. i know this because that is what happened to me. for people who have never been in a glo, there only experience with "initiation" has probably been in a much different sense.
on a side note, my best friend asked me about ritual. not because he was trying to be nosy about what we did, but because he wanted to know why what happens in that few hour period makes you not want to tell. lol, he is a philosopher and he was trying to understand what made it so important to people. honestly, i couldn't come up with something. no one held a gun to my head and said, if you ever tell, you will be killed. honestly, i don't know why i don't want to tell, i just don't. the conversation ended with me saying, you should have joined a fraternity and then you would know, too!
|