Elizabeth Dean: Topic of Choice: Mississippi

Mississippi
I can relate an additional exemplification of Genneps' rites of transition to a trip i take every summer to Waveland, Mississippi to do mission work. My church takes a group of students and adults every summer to Mississippi to aid in ongoing efforts to rebuild damage caused by hurricane Katrina. Although a trip of heat and hard labor, and limited time for relaxation or comfort I look forward to it every year. The feeling you get from seeing the happy similing faces of the families you are helping to get back into their homes is unmeasurable. The labor and heat and everything else simply dissapear when you realize what you are taking back from the trip.
Gennep's rites of passage include a separation from an earlier fixed point in social structure, followed by a passage through a realm that has limtied characterstics of the earlier fixed point, ending with a return to the first state. I think this is almost exactly what I do every year when I travel to Mississippi. I completely abandon all of my commitments and characterstics of my day to day summer and travel to a place that is completely different from my previous state. I then return to my average day to day after the week is over. Although not a religious pilgrimage, this experience has shared characteristics with that of one. I am not experiencing a religious enlightenment per say on my trip, but I am leaving with a greater view of the world, and a better ability to look at the bigger picture.