So with all the mess that happened with the Republic today, I got to thinking about times of extreme grief for nations, and how the different ethnicities deal with it. What I offer below is a tradition that Ryoko (my Dustie) brought to Ava Starfire to help with the loss of the Ray of Matar and the Minmatar fleet.
The Grief Box
Obviously emotion is not highly prized within the State, especially where it conflicts with doing work. Of course, there are situations where emotion is too extreme to be simply set aside, and as the Caldari are in many senses a spiritual, though not religious, people, I am offering the following tradition for dealing with extreme grief:
The "Grief Box" is the closest translation for the rite that some Caldari undergo in events of extreme loss (such as the death of a child, a spouse, tremendous personal or familial failings, and so on). Grief Boxes are made of wood, with metal hinges and latches, and are never opened. A craftsman places an effigy within the box that is formed from clay, straw, or other soft materials while blindfolded, and then the box is closed and latched. The box is then used by the mourner (or, in cases of group loss, mourners). Only the mourners may see the effigy within the box, and only the mourners may open the box. In deep meditation, the mourners transfer their sorrow to the effigy, and seal it within the box. Traditionally, the box is then either cast out to sea, where the spirits can bear it away. If the mourners are too far from an ocean, the box may be burned where the smoke cannot touch any human being, and thus the sadness is carried into the heavens. In this way, the grief is purged, leaving the Caldari to return to their life and work as normal.
This is obviously a very specific tradition, with limited use, but it is something I think overlaps well with the State as both a spiritual ritual, and also highly pragmatic in terms of returning workers back to functional society. Hope this is something you find useful!
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Topic: [Caldari] The Grief Box (Read 541 times)