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Zoe's avatar

Many years ago, I was allowed to observe a Sun Dance at the Pine Ridge reservation. One of the tasks in preparation for the ceremony was to cut a large cottonwood tree, carry it to the site, stick it firmly in the ground and tie the various cords and banners to it. This was all done by a large group of strong young men, and an elder explained to me that this was a way to channel their energy in service to the tribe rather than to disruptive activities like drinking alcohol and so forth. Then, of course, there was the dance itself, which also required men to prepare for a year in advance in various ways, and to focus their strength, energy and prayers on the tribe. This was a really positive way of harnessing male energy in service to the community. I realize that it probably only works on a small scale, but small scale is probably where we need to go and is probably what the planet is going to force on us eventually anyway.

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Benny's avatar

“While woke ideology argues this is because of racism (and they are at least partially correct here), it cannot possibly address the larger issue of what those men might be able to do instead within modern societies.”

This is huge. Really clarifying sentence.

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