Today I had laser facial hair removal treatment number 3. As many here know, that ->-bleeped-<- hurts bad.
During the procedure, due to the pain, it occurred to me how the process of transitioning is similar to ancient,
and some modern, tribal or mystical initiation
rites. In such rites, there is often a pretty fair amount of physical pain, fear, stress and
often a transcendent experience that alters the individuals perception of the world and the
self. Upon completion of such a rite, the individual is respected for the strength and toughness of body and mind
that they have proven through the successful endurance of said rituals, and is regarded as complete, mature, or at
least as having achieved a major mile stone of development. We're not doing it, though, because it's some expected
cultural norm based in primitive ideology and a misunderstanding of the world. We're doing
it out of personal/medical/psychological necessity and we are backed by proven science. Transitioning is not at all a
cultural norm, it's rather counter cultural in a very positive, progressive way. In the ancient tribes and shamanic traditions, through difficult ordeals, individuals were initiated by the culture. In our transitions, not only are we enduring major rites of passage, we are pulling our local, state and national cultures through necessary rites of passage as well.
