Kula

There is a Bible verse¹ that says a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. I think people are very well versed in this. Even if they didn't know it was in the Bible. Because it’s very basic social survival skills, I realise as I navigate adulthood. If you aren’t familiar with this and/or aren’t good at it, you don’t get very far at all. Raw skills and education can really only take you so far.

In Sociology, we learned about Kula Rings as practiced by the Trobriand Islanders in Polynesia, observed and studied by Bronislaw Manilowski. Very interesting. I forget the details. It’s not that important anymore outside of college. But the basic principles have remained impressed in my head. 

Gift-giving.

The Trobrianders exchange gifts symbolically and make a big deal out of it. The ritual gifts itself are mostly cowrie shells; not that big a deal at face value and in themselves, possibly not worth anything in the vicinity of the soap-sized rubies Nita Ambani wore as a necklace for the pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. But what these jewelry and the gifting of them symbolize has ensured the goodwill and tradition, culture and rituals of these Polynesian tribes for I don’t even know how long.

It's such a subtle but powerful art. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. You give something, you get something. It is very hard to not return something else in kind, of commensurate value, when people have gifted you something. If you, the recipient, does not know enough to return the favour, you’re rather uncouth. No wonder Proverbs already talked about this. Bribes, sure, but in kinder words, it also said ‘a gift given in secret soothes anger’. Which is very true. 

But I guess we also find people who look at gift horses in the mouth. Or bite the hands that feed it. Very ungrateful. And ultimately, stupid. Borderline insane, I’d say. You can’t be very wise if you don’t weigh out consequences to actions. But I guess in life, too many adults are penny wise, but pound foolish. This way, many people have won battles but lost entire wars. And they don’t even know it.

I’m rather amused at the amount of clichés I’ve used in this blog. But they just came to me. And it would have been a waste to not use them. Recent events really have got me to think about all these actions and consequences. I have also ended up procrastinating on a number of things. Eh. I guess I’ll burn those bridges when I get to them; after all, at this point it’s all just spilled milk under the bridge. No?

¹Proverbs 21:14 - A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.