In anthropology we talk a lot about the Sacred and the Profane as concepts for understanding how cultures function in our lives. I've been thinking about what that means for me personally- where that division stands in my life.
First off, profane does not mean "dirty" in this context, or even necessarily inappropriate. It just means ordinary, belonging to the world of the mundane
Sacred spaces are easy to define- church sanctuaries, museums, national parks, dance studios...
The arts are sacred, even as they serve as a reflection of the profane. Theater in particular.
A confidence is sacred, as is any conversation deemed to be happening in a "safe space".
Privacy is sacred- private lives are both profane and sacred, in complex and troubling ways. They become profane when they become public.
Life and dignity are sacred. I think of the natural world- from trees to zooplankton to granite boulders, as sacred- cities as profane.
The sacred can, of course, be profaned. Litter is thrown in our national parks, privacy is breached, lives are defiled and dignity denied. Who feels the consequences of this?
More specifically, what do you do when you've profaned the sacred? Repentance isn't enough, atonement isn't likely, transformation is insufficient. If what you've profaned is truly sacred, there is no forgiveness... do you live this way forever, with a millstone 'round your neck, dwelling in regret? Maybe that's what Prometheus's punishment represents - the unending guilt of profaning that which should have been sacred... and society and our own conscience acting as the flesh eating eagle?
Not a very chipper post for Marti Gras, I know.
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