It is often found that people are bound together in groupings that can take on several different characteristics. Sometimes people find themselves inter-related based upon choice, but other times are inter-related because of circumstance. This points to one topic: communitas. By looking more closely at this topic within The Holy Bible, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, one might be able to determine three things: (1) communitas is reached through liminality, (2) communitas brings about a sense of unity, and, (3) communitas indicates a sense of transcendence.
Before beginning with the first point, it is important to evaluate what communitas is defined as. For the sake of this research, communitas will be defined as the, “intense community feelings of solidarity, equality, and purpose, often organized around a cause that produces a sense of unity,”(Oswalt 206). This indicates that multiple people have a
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similar passion and agenda, regardless of the activity. With that understanding, one can now begin examining the subjects of study and can see how communitas is reached through liminality. As defined by Merriam Webster, liminal means, “of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition.” In order to achieve communitas, people must encounter similar phases(sometimes seen as trials, suffering, tests...etc). This can indisputably be identified in The Holy Bible. In the book of Joshua, the nation of Israel followed their God Yahweh into battle with the city of Jericho. They left their tent homes, fought, and found victory. This historical event reveals that the people of the nation were separated from their place of comfort, experienced liminal period, and then were re-assimilated. While it is an understatement of community depth, it shows how communitas was reached through a time of liminality. Secondly, communitas brings about a sense of unity.
In the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, Frodo Baggins is a young hobbit that stumbles across a magic ring. Without the destruction of this ring, the entire world(known as Middle Earth) would be put at danger. As the story develops, Baggins meets others along the way that assist in his mission to destroy the ring. An example of this can be seen in the first of the trilogy when the king of the Elves says, “And I will choose you companions to go with you, as far as they will or fortune allows…they shall represent the other Free Peoples of the World: Elves, Dwarves, and Men,”(Tolkien Vol. 1, 288-298). The very fact that multiple races are present indicates unity. These “Free Peoples” have one common goal, to destroy the ring so that they remain “Free.” In order for unity to ring true, individuals must realize that they are not everything, but rather, they contribute something that benefits the communitas in some form or fashion. This definitely is present in The Lord of the Rings
series. Lastly, and arguably the most important, is the fact that communitas suggests a sense of transcendence. Once again, if this term is reviewed under Merriam Webster's dictionary, one can see it defined as, “exceeding usual limits; extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience.” Essentially, transcendence can be viewed as an outcome or goal of communitas. Those that are involved in a communitas desire to get somewhere or achieve some sort of landmark. That state of transition implies movement, a change in location, or a shift. For those that believe the Bible, transcendence is seen in the existence of heaven and hell. People desire to exceed the usual limits of this world, and reach the eternal. If they are following the Bible, they believe wholeheartedly with the passage that says, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,”(English Standard Version, Rom. 10:9). This transcendence is viewed as eternity. On the other hand, transcendence can also be seen as what empowers an individual to reach their desired goal. In the case of The Lord of the Rings, an excellent example of this can be seen towards the end of the trilogy. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee are on the last portion of their journey, and Mount Doom towers over them. Frodo falls from exhaustion to the rocky mountain surface and cannot get up. However, the moment of transcendence comes when Samwise says, “I can't carry [the ring] for you, but I can carry you and it as well,”(Tolkien Vol. 3, 218). Transcendence can be seen here for both Samwise and Frodo. Even though Frodo could no longer carry himself up the mountain, an experience was given to him that brought him beyond normal capabilities. For Samwise, transcendence was found in the fact that he was able to look past himself in order to help his friend. He was rejuvenated and had the strength to carry on. Therefore, whether the transcendence is something that comes in a situation, or is a goal to attain, it is definitely present in communitas. In conclusion, after having examined the subjects of study in relation to communitas and liminality, one should have been able to see how communitas is reached through liminality, how it brings about a sense of unity, and how it indicates a sense of transcendence. The social order seen by Confucius fits well in this topic of communitas, and brings focus to the entirety of this examination. Conrad Ostwalt writes in his book Secular Steeples, ““For Confucius, the self, or the individual, has no existence except in relation to a communitas, the various orders of society defined by finial piety: the family, the society, the government, the world,”(Ostwalt 226). Whether or not people would admit their interrelatedness with each other, there is one observation that can be made. Is it possible for a person to live life without ever existing in a communitas?
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From the point of view of their nationality and language, a majority of them differed from one another. The most powerful of relations that existed amongst all these people - keeping in mind the differences that were also there - was the relationship of true faith and religious brotherhood through which the enmity, hatred and other negative effects that their differences created amongst themselves, was removed from their hearts.
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