Sacré

"Le sacré du printemps", "The rite of Spring", "Frühlingsopfers" is the title of the symphony by Stravinsky which is also a dance. In each language different aspects of transcendence and the human response to the Season after Winter is different. It ranges from the sacred, to a tradition, to a sacrifice...

Celebration would be the most unbiased with the meaning behind the "rite" open to each person who observes or participates. The Chinese would use the word worship (拜) as in a temple to one of the many god's available for appeasement or request.

The object is the change from the cold deathly winter for plants to the newness of life in Spring. A resurrection, revival, reboot.... that stirs the frozen earth of extreme Winter with feelings of relief, of hope and warmth. The natural change is expected and can be savored or ignored, celebrated or mourned. It's up to you, how you feel, where you are in life.

There is nothing sacred about seasonal change really. It is wonderful, powerful, artistic, enjoyable, depressing, bothersome, boring, exciting all at once. Nature's art. You can react depending on how you feel. And it is all OK.

We have no control over this Art of Nature. It is important in that we change our lives around it. Yet almost no one discusses how to deal with it, we just do and adjust, reacting to it in any way we want. There is no fighting over what is Spring, how it is interpreted, if we believe it exists, how to respond to it, if you want to worship the Season, or not at all....

How wonderful it would be if we dealt with our institutions (which we can change) with such balance, realism and awe of its mystery. For humanity is just as mysterious as the Seasons, that our current knowledge is insufficient to fully understand, appreciate and develop. The effort to discover what is there rather than try to manipulate each other (peacefully or violently) would be sacred indeed.

Yet the tendency is to protect our temporary institutions as if they were holy, sacred, unchangeable at the expense of what is valuable in life. But nothing we create is meant to be the standard forever, just useful until the are not.

Like nature, our earth, our universe, there are processes that create the rare conditions for life which is sacred because we would not be here except for this chance to live.