The Ties That Bind

            I took this picture of a Spirit House in Thailand some years ago. Families build small structures outside of homes and places of business to both shelter and appease spirits who they believe will cause havoc in their lives if they are not given respect in the form of small gifts.This extends to the “spirit of the land,” who must be asked for permission when new construction or improvements are planned.[1]  I thought of this kind of gift giving when I read through Mauss’ book, The Gift, as another way people order their lives, extending even to the unseen, through systems of reciprocity.

            In Mauss’ book we see examples of giving and receiving presented as multi-layered constructions of reality.  These activities speak to how we organize and maintain our social structures, such as morality, community, economics, politics, and religion. Because I have an interest in what creates community, I found what Mauss talked about on page 13 to be interesting.  He made it clear that the act of giving and receiving is critical to maintaining a sense of community.  He wrote, “To refuse to give, to fail to invite, just as to refuse to accept…is to reject the bond of alliance and commonality.”[2]

            To be sure, scale has much to do with how we understand commonality or interdependence, but with the general idea of how reciprocity binds us together, it makes me consider what is impacted by reducing the obligations of giving in our society to a paper (or plastic/virtual) exchange.  Does it make a difference that I am put out in no other way than a debit on my bank ledger when I give only money to satisfy a debt?  What difference is there in giving that requires more from me in terms of my time, my mental and emotional involvement, or even opening private geographies or personal spaces? Does the act of giving and receiving in this case, bind a person to another in a different way?

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[1] Welcome to Chiangmai and Chiangrai Magazine. The Thai Spirit House. http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/spirit_house.html

[2] Mauss, M. (1990). The Gift. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.