Uninitiated young people look the part of human beings, to some degree, but they are capable of treachery, self-harm, and intoxicating self-absorption in the name of a self-appointed and unguided search for “personal identity.” Without the endorsement and support of the culture, which could come to them through elder-directed ceremony, the unformed yearning for love turns into a cruder, more inarticulate, and camouflaged stumble in the direction of intensity of all kinds.
