I’m sure most of you would have heard of the Rite of Passage for all Cherokee Indian youths.
Nevertheless, I’m sharing this story because I find it most meaningful.
All Cherokee Indian males have to pass through a rite of passage to confirm their status as a man. If they were successful, they were not to relate their experience to anyone, not even their closest friends, as each male must come into manhood on his own.
One night, as a young man stood on the cusp of adulthood, his father took him into the woods, blindfolded him, and left him alone. He was made to sit on a stump and he had to remain there the whole night, braving the cold, wild spirits, and the beasts of the land. He was warned not to remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shone through it. He also was not to cry out for help to anyone.
As the night lingered, his fear mounted. His skin tinged at the burning heat of the moon and shivered at the coldness of silence all at once. He trembled at every rustle of the trees and the howls of the wild beasts.
Did he pass the test? What happened to him? What lessons can be drawn from this story? Click through to read on
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