8.0.10.1 Natural cyclic worldly occasions that are an excuse for celebration include:

●           the annual cycles such as summer and winter solstices, autumn and spring equinoxes, and other locally significant seasonal changes.

8.0.10.2 Artificially created events that are an excuse for celebration include:

●           cultural events such as the New Year, Christmas, Eid, Passover and Deepavali, interpreted to mean celebrations of renewal, with family and friends;

●           national events such as those celebrating the founding of the country or anniversaries related to significant events or people in the country’s history (e.g. Martin Luther King Junior Day in the USA and Gandhi Jayanti in India);

●           annual global events such as May Day, the newer Earth Hour, and so on;

●           commercially exploited events such as Valentines Day, Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day (and as the Japanese do it) Boys’ Day and Girls’ Day;

●           sporting events, such as the World Cup, the Olympic Games, the Tour de France, various horse races (e.g. the Melbourne Cup) and football finals.

8.0.10.3 We can celebrate personal occasions that arise ‘automatically’:

●           births, birthdays, coming of age, knowledge of impending death (to celebrate while we live and say goodbye) and death itself;

8.0.10.4 We can celebrate personal occasions that reflect ‘achievements’: in

●           education (graduation from primary, secondary and tertiary education, etc.);

●           careers (first job, promotion, opening a business, leaving a job, retirement, etc.);

●           housing (housewarming, setting up a home, leaving a home);

●           completion of a major project, at work or personally;

●           relationships: “going steadyâ€�, first sexual intercourse, marriage, divorce, etc.

8.0.10.5 It is reasonable, even essential, to participate in activities that reflect socially shared values:

●           Rituals associated with democratic elections:

             at a personal level (registering to vote, following debates on the issues, discussing policies and candidates, casting our vote);

             and at a community level (vote counting, declaring the winner, inauguration ceremonies, parliamentary debating procedures, etc);

●           Rituals associated with the legal system (respecting the separation of the functions of legislation, enforcement, prosecution, judgment and punishment,  complying with rules of evidence, treating the accused as innocent until proven guilty, judicial respect, swearing to tell the truth, etc.);

●           Rituals associated with the military, police, emergency services, celebrating victories, mourning our losses, respecting the discipline that prevents the service from becoming an uncontrolled, indiscriminately violent mob;

●           Rituals associated with the caring professions, such as teachers, nurses, doctors, paramedics, social workers, counsellors and youth leaders, which enable provider and client to engage on intimate matters while keeping a respectful distance.

8.0.10.6 We also must attend to the daily rituals of our lives, which include:

●           keeping ourselves clean (daily washing, brushing teeth);

●           loving rituals (kissing, hugging, cuddling, shaking and holding hands) with lovers, friends and family;

●           conducting ourselves respectfully in the community:

                  - being courteous – good morning, please, thank you, goodbye,

                  - being patient – joining the queue, awaiting our turn,

                  - being tolerant – not getting aggressive,

                  - minimizing our impact on the environment – reuse, recycle etc;

●           joining in the reasonable rituals of the workplace:

                  - being appropriately respectful to superiors, colleagues and underlings,

                  - following professional work ethics and industry standards;

                  - participating in appropriate work celebrations and reviews;

                  - accounting for our time and effort;

                  - observing health and safety regulations;

●           responsibly undertaking the duties of citizens:

             - learning about political issues and evaluating social responses;

             -  exercising skepticism in the face of all sorts of claims;

             - being critical of the media, news reports and politicians;

             - accepting the ritualistic procedures of the scientific method;

             - consciously investigating related historical events;

8.0.10.7 We can use rituals

●           to express joy, feel reverence, resolve to continue the struggle, share our feelings, contemplate our plans, and hope for the future. 

●           to give ourselves opportunities to reflect on our situation:

                  - appreciating the natural beauty around us;

                  - appreciating the wondrous and beautiful things humans have achieved;

  more (later)