Ceremonial Fluff?

The human desire for ceremonies is interesting. I recently went to a friend's wedding, where I was a part of the ceremony (the BridesMAN if you must know... and no, there was no dress to wear). Mind you, it was nice to be a part of it and a great honor to be a big part of my friend's life like that. However, why do we need ceremonies in the first place?

Imagine this: a world without ceremonies to fluff up the reason to do something. Wanna get married? You just declare it. period. Wanna get divorced? You casuallly mention it to someone. Graduation? Certification is in the mail. The world would be so much more efficient.

But I think it'd also be sterile. I think something in our emotional core craves the excitement of a "big event" ala ceremonies. A "show" if you will to make things more memorably by adding stress to the particpant's lives (memories are consolidated better when there's a strong emotional association with it). I think without ceremonies people would feel empty of accomplishment.

But I still think it'd be funny to consider a world without ceremonies. It'd be the anti-climactic world :) "people have voted - and mr XXX is the new president... now get to work!" or "you two like each other? You're married!"