Does culture matter? How do we define culture within this entire opus of human existence? does culture, heritage and traditions gives us meaning to the crux of who we are and what we believe, what motivates us, what inspires us, what deviates us and what keeps us evolving, or are such constructs irrelevant in modern time?
Exploring the cultural nature of the mind to understand specific traditions, beliefs and practices that influence us as human beings is an important aspect in giving meaning to everyday living and enhancing our quality of life.
The field of cultural psychology incorporates such understanding by determining factors that are considered pertinent to psychological wellbeing. These cultural factors are embedded in our daily living and seen in our institutional values (like family, schools, religious institutions, government, and industries), cultural concepts (like time, morality, nature and sex) and the value of our artifacts (art, tools, clothing, cooking, and housing).
Such understanding not only unifies us as masses of people exhibiting common behaviors, giving us an identity but also gives meaning to the concept of uncertainty. The values we hold cannot be seen as separate, and are in fact integrated within the many practices seen in our cultural traditions. While the reasons for these rituals are universal in nature, their practices are unique.
Every culture will have ingrained in its traditions, rituals that enhance wellbeing and promote community development. Awareness of cultural nuances lends insight into how people of varied backgrounds generate psychological wellbeing. Careful analysis of the various traditions we have in Goa, highlight the use of religion to promote interactions and community wellbeing.
November 2 is celebrated as All Souls Day amongst the Catholics of Goa. This religious ceremony has in its practice more than just spiritual connotations. The significance of the all souls day is one of the many examples of how religious ceremonies in Goa go beyond their spiritual relevance and instead perform the functions of maintaining psychological wellbeing. On this day, Catholics follow certain rituals such as visiting the graves of their deceased family members, spending time within the physical space of the dead, decorating them with flowers and candles, saying prayers and maintaining overall solemnity about death. In this time they find space for closure with their loss, and probably gain understanding with one of the most difficult of all human quest, the understanding of their own mortality. In this journey we begin to understand life itself. A rather philosophical quest but none the less a relevant one if ones needs to enjoy quality of life.
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a famous psychologist who has done extensive research on death and dying entails various stages that we go through when we are faced with death. The first stage is the denial we face to believe that death is in fact a reality. That life as we know it shall perish forever. That people in our lives will remain shall not live forever. So when we do face our own impending death or the death of a close family member we in fact react with denial.
Thus our first reaction to death is feelings of anger. Anger directed to the feeling of helplessness we experience. The lack of control we have to the permanency of our existence. The beliefs of security. When faced with sudden death the anger experienced is acute. Fluctuating between feelings of guilt and hopelessness, and if not addressed, such anger can develop into a major depression episode. If pending death has had time to be processed than the process of bargaining commences. It is during this stage that we begin to implore our understanding of after life and seek evidences of immortality. The bargaining will begin with the doctor and end with God. The hope of a miracle.
Recently gaining evidence is the power of prayers. In his book ‘the divine matrix’, Gregg Braden, suggest that our world is in fact more complex than we believe it to be. Just because science has not discovered doesn’t mean that it is not a reality. A physicist himself, Braden falls back on science to explain important constructs of human’s existence in relation to spiritual existence. He strongly believes in the indigenous wisdom of our ancestors who incorporated these understandings in our rituals and practices. Venerating death in the many rituals we practice is thus important in helping us face with our death anxiety.
Irvin Yalom, an existential psychologist on the other hand discounts the nature of afterlife but instead believes that bargaining begins because we need to accept the inevitable mortality. Such understanding brings us face to face with loss - The loss of life as we know it and loss of our loved ones. The fears that we are not permanent and one day shall perish. It is during this process that we must learn to deal with our own death anxiety.
Either way both the believers and non-believers emphasise on the nature of understanding death. It is in this final acceptance that living takes on a meaning.
Dr Aldina Braganza e Gomes is a clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and associate professor, HOD, Dept of Psychology Carmel College
