The idea of communitas is very interesting to me. I believe that everyone in the Army, or military for that matter, has experienced communitas. I spoke about basic training and liminality before, but because of the liminal state being related to communitas, it makes sense that I would also feel a connection there. When in basic training, or other specific military schools, you are going through such a physically and mentally challenging state that you need to bond together with those around you in order to regain some semblance of humanity. The fact that you are all experiencing the same mental and physical transformation makes you bond together more than mere friendships would allow. In the Army, your fellow soldiers are the people that you will be fighting next to, the people that will be fighting in front of you, or the people that you will be fighting for. Everyone hears that in Basic training over and over again: communication and cooperation; working together as a team; knowing that you have to be willing to die for the person you are standing next to, even if you can’t stand them.
“Communitas is an essential and generic human bond. (pp. 250)” It is more than camaraderie, more than friendship. It combines the ideas of sacredness, humbleness, and camaraderie into one homogenous feeling.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment