A Formal Introduction

Ceremonial and Casual Knowledge

The formality of an introduction … and its filial familiarity … should not be underestimated. Its that which separates our sense of … ceremonial knowing … and casually knowing. No doubt … a man may casually know plenty … but he is often put to the test about what he thinks he knows. To correct that … we engage in ceremonial knowing … and that is to make an effort … to contact … touch … speak … and relate to someone in that way. Thereafter its a matter of great importance … that we stay true to the ceremonial relations. It defines our social identity.

In the pursuit of a life … founded on the social … and ceremonial … practices … we are brought into the realization of our individual nature and identity. And that is the glorious … way of life … we refer to casually … as human. It comes in many forms. In the West … there's the socially civil … as in the case of a friend of mine … who spent a day at Hyde Park with his college pals … running down the government. The cops stood around … but the crowd was well behaved. At the end of the day … as the group dispersed … this cop called out to my friend … ' See you next year!'

Then there's the French … Spanish … or Latin American manner of social relations … that would kiss both cheeks … and create that up-close suggestion of familiarity … that seeks to include the casually knowing. It seems to say … ' I'll be seeing you in my dreams!' The exception to the need for a formal introduction seems to be the American. As Shirley Winters once commented … its a bit of … ' Gang Bang … thank you ma'am!' Perhaps it'll help to inform the other person later … that you've been play dreaming … with them.

And it occurs to me … that its the Americans who introduced … the informal natures … into the world's social conduct … by their manner of personality. Prior to that … everyone followed a manner … of strict social conduct … that extended to the roots of an individual personality. It could have been the industrial revolution … that threatened the special and unique nature of the man. It used to be that which separated man … from the animals … and the inanimate objects … of earth … wind … fire and wind.

But given … the exceptionally open nature … of the casually known … a man ought to bring to it … a manner of organization … that makes of it a meaningful touch in his experience. It is possible to tire of it easily. Hence … we introduce the physical effort of a formal introduction … and the implied relation that it brings. We find that … sometimes … in the manner … in which we refer to another by the first name. It creates a focus … in our relations … and brings the passions … into contact … with what we say and do.

I had given it some thought in the way I organized my profile here in WC. My name is Sri Daran … and my American peace corps teacher … had always called me … by the acoustical … Dayran. So I chose that as my profile name … to stay clear … of the casually known … that is such a common trait in our societies at this time. A friend here calls me Sri … and I'm pleased that he does. He brings a wonderful ceremonial relations … to our friendship. There are several others here … that I would welcome … calling me by my first name … when they feel comfortable to do so.

I used to be an avid reader of autobiographies … parts of it sometimes … and quite often … find the line … blurring between the casual and the ceremonial familiarity … of the individual. Its the same with the movies … especially as we relate to the personality of the actor playing a role. I find it shocking sometimes … that I can so easily refer to a Brad Pitt… as Brad … while I continue to hesitate … referring to David Niven … as David. I don't think … movie familiarity … excuses anyone … from having to stay with ceremony.

Our social mannerisms … are sometimes the greatest common sense application … of good thinking … that we come across. It helps us to stay with the diet … and not bite off more than we can chew. Or worse … turn into a demonic stalker … who has lost his loves and passion … to the person whom he adored … and eventually … has to kill him … to regain his lost personality. A little awareness on these matters … brings a delicate management of the passions … so that we build an appreciation of our organization for orderliness.

Beyond the ceremonial and the casual … we ask ourselves … what is therefore real … in the experience of the individual? What is that … which is patently objective in his experience … that which he does not influence or manipulate? The answer can only be … the world … or in the words of an older view … the fates. He needs to relate to that … call it by a name … whether that is God … or the collective will of creation. Thereafter he relates to it … as a second will … in his life … and finds in some way its application to the woman.

In the most strange manner of experience … we are led to believe sometimes … that since it all emanates from our mind … we are in that way … the prime mover of all … or that it moves according to our will … and that sometimes persuades us that we may achieve an extraordinary gain from that. Nothing could be further from the truth. In trying to order its will … we find ourselves in a profound sense of relation to it … that involves our rationality … to do the right thing. Its then that we rediscover our relations with creation.

In the Asian context … one views the application of ceremonial knowing … at work … and at the practice of … relating to the Gods. It is the most curious sensation … for feeling that … a person knows of the Gods. But I wonder if we might call them by their first names? And then of course … there's that … mummy and papa … which are not first names … at all. I wonder what we make of that?