#### [[Performative spirituality is not a hollow show rather it is a means of restoring our spiritual energy communal ties and anchor us to the present]] --- Human beings have always lived hard lives, less so in the modern day but there are always challenges within and without. Where our struggles used to be from wild creatures and warring bands now it comes from stress, purposelessness, a lack of connection to others & the Earth, and the crippling tedium of modern capitalist life. - We now have greater, more pervasive, and longer lasting stress from our jobs than the brief shot of adrenaline from being chased by a tiger - we have a malaise that all we are doing is living. Without purpose or a higher calling. - we work to live, and live to work, money is the name of the game and the game is [[neoliberalism]]. Humans have always sought to escape from the tedium of life through song, dance, drink, community, and spirituality. Thinking of christian mega-churches that many may mock for their performative *"BE HEALED!"* television broadcasts. These individuals putting on a show of healing others real or not is not the point, the point is that this is **performative spirituality**. The performance connects the audience to the sense of greater forces and energies. God, Gods, The universe, It doesn't matter people desire that connection to the greater sense of things and to share that with those around them. Sharing these experiences with others who feel as you do is a potent way of building [[Frith]]. The performance satisfies a desire and itch to give up a sense of the mundane for just a moment and let loose in reverent fervor of what ever god(s) you pray to and feel a part of something larger. If left to our own devices, alone, and unconnected without this occasional respite from the mundane, humans focus on the nihilistic pointlessness of existence and become untethered from their connections to this life. We need that renewed sense of connection, community, and spiritual fervor to ground us in our lives. There needs to be a dramatic difference in a moment to break free from the mundane moment and truly feel even if for a second that there are greater things around us. Anything less than this practice of performative spirituality is in essence taking the part of an observer moving an avatar of ourselves as a marionette through life. Present, but unengaged, unfulfilled, and left hungry for a deeper connection and performance. To scratch the itch we need something otherworldly. --- Perfect example of a shared experience, rhythmic, powerful, a performance for a group to take part in. The fact that part of the ritual creates music is an additional facet of ritual that builds stronger [[Frith|Bonds]] and expands on the power and energy of the shared moment. <center> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AxSWVkPfVc8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </center> --- Tags: [[Heathenism]] - [[Spirituality]] - [[Religion]] - [[Nihilism]] Reference: [[= 2020-11-21 Thoughts on performative religious ceremonies]] Related: