Religious and spiritual beliefs serve two purposes: one, explanations of the natural
world, and two, moral guidelines by which people must live their lives. No religion is just
explanation, and no religion is just morals and values. The Kaluli of Papua New Guinea
have developed a religion where everything is interconnected – for every animal and
person, there is a counterpart; for every action, there is an action in return. This belief in
the reciprocal nature of things has lead to the formation of a very cooperative, social
society. The egalitarian nature of their world has also affected their ideas on suffering and
misfortune: suffering must be paid in kind. Just as there is reciprocal exchange for labor,
marriage, and friendship, there must be …show more content…
The ceremony allows them to observe and re-experience their own suffering
in a communal setting that strengthens relationships through uninhibited displays of
emotion. For the Kaluli, it is a good thing to be sad and angry, because it gives them
focus and gives them opportunities to renew social bonds.
The best example of how suffering motivates Kaluli cooperation is the sequence
of actions that follows a death. The Kaluli believe that “all deaths, whether due to illness,
old age, or violent accident, are caused by a sei.” (p. 100) Since sei are evil aspects living
in human beings, deaths can be revenged by killing the right person. The family and
friends of the recently deceased band together to raid and kill the person suspected of
being the sei. In fact, retribution becomes a community-wide activity, where multiple
people volunteer to participate in hunting down the murderer. This is because the Kaluli
strongly believe in mutual cooperation and the power of sympathy, and “moral emotions
such as sympathy help to solve commitment problems” (p. 73, Frank). The family of the
deceased could very well take matters into their own hands, privately, and deal with
world, and two, moral guidelines by which people must live their lives. No religion is just
explanation, and no religion is just morals and values. The Kaluli of Papua New Guinea
have developed a religion where everything is interconnected – for every animal and
person, there is a counterpart; for every action, there is an action in return. This belief in
the reciprocal nature of things has lead to the formation of a very cooperative, social
society. The egalitarian nature of their world has also affected their ideas on suffering and
misfortune: suffering must be paid in kind. Just as there is reciprocal exchange for labor,
marriage, and friendship, there must be …show more content…
The ceremony allows them to observe and re-experience their own suffering
in a communal setting that strengthens relationships through uninhibited displays of
emotion. For the Kaluli, it is a good thing to be sad and angry, because it gives them
focus and gives them opportunities to renew social bonds.
The best example of how suffering motivates Kaluli cooperation is the sequence
of actions that follows a death. The Kaluli believe that “all deaths, whether due to illness,
old age, or violent accident, are caused by a sei.” (p. 100) Since sei are evil aspects living
in human beings, deaths can be revenged by killing the right person. The family and
friends of the recently deceased band together to raid and kill the person suspected of
being the sei. In fact, retribution becomes a community-wide activity, where multiple
people volunteer to participate in hunting down the murderer. This is because the Kaluli
strongly believe in mutual cooperation and the power of sympathy, and “moral emotions
such as sympathy help to solve commitment problems” (p. 73, Frank). The family of the
deceased could very well take matters into their own hands, privately, and deal with