Originally Posted by
Morning Glory
The thing about historic rituals of pain infliction, such as the above pictured man, is that they weren't done for sado-masochism. It was purposely meant not to be enjoyable, that's the whole point. It was for an individual to show their personal bravery and more so their devotion to their tribe by engaging in a ritual that was difficult to endure. If the ritual left permanent markings on the skin it was often done in a pattern, not for the sake of cosmetic beauty, but because it gave them a physical characteristic that they shared with the other members of their tribe, but different from everyone else.
In short, it was something that people did to become a closer society, not to go against it.
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