The Bokonon
practice of boko-maru, or mingling awareness, provided Bokononists with a
deeper, more fulfilling happiness that allowed them to continue living in
poverty. In this ritual two Bokononists press the soles of their feet together,
because it is "impossible to be sole-to-sole with another person without
loving the person" (p 158).
The
foundation for the ceremony is:
"We
will touch our feet, yes,
Yes, for all we're worth,
And we will love each other, yes,
Yes, like we love our Mother Earth." (pg
158)
When Bokononists performed this ritual, they changed the
state of mind they were in, which is evident in this poem. Their minds were no
longer confined to a single body, but rather free to become a part of the Earth
and humankind. I do not believe that the love this poem speaks of describes the
same 'love' we have become so accustomed to hearing. Instead of a romantic attachment,
I think Bokonon wrote about a more universal and selfless 'love' that could be shared
with everyone and fostered a oneness with the world.
Bokononists
clearly enjoyed the practice of boko-maru; Mona was in tears when Jonah tried
to ban her from performing boko-maru with anyone else. I think this practice
helped Bokononists learn to find their happiness from inside instead of search
for it in vain in the outside world. When the person touched another's sole,
both people were aware that they were not alone in their struggles and were
both searching for a more fulfilling happiness. Boko-maru provided an effective
support system and means of attaining happiness which I believe has allowed the
people of San Lorenzo to survive.
I thought of boko-maru in much the same way. As the only physical way to really "practice" Bokononism (they don't pray, do they?), boko-maru is the defining trait of the religion. I thought of the practice as a kind of hedonism--an attitude along the lines of everything-is-okay-as-long-as-I-can-feel-good. It's kind of like the way people eat when they're stressed. If you can lose yourself, just for a moment, in the taste of that triple-layer carrot cake, you're happy. Unfortunately, everything comes crashing down later when you realize just how many calories you eaten. But it doesn't seem to work the same way with boko-maru. I wanted to equate it with sex, but it seems an experience even more sublime than that. And participants never feel guilty or dirty the way some sexual partners might after a single drunken evening. Boko-maru is inclusive and indiscriminating, and I think that is why it is one of the central pillars of Bokononism.
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