Bokononism, or how to invent happiness

"All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies."
Books of Bokonon, 1, 1

As Hobsbawn explains "Inventing traditions...is essentally a process of formalization and ritualization, characterized by reference to the past, if ony by imposing repetition." So, to invent a tradition what we need is repetition that refers to the past, invented or not.
This process, as Hobsbawn says, "It is presumably most clearly exemplified where a 'tradition' is deliberately invented and constructed by a single initiator, as for the Boy Scouts by Baden-Powell."

This exctracts reminds me to an interesting book by Kurt Vonnegut, "Cat's Cradle", in wich the idea of inventing tradition by a single initiator is well explained. In this book one of the main theme is the religion of San Lorenzo, wich is called Bokononism, from the original creator, Bokonon, born Lionel Boyd Johnson. Bokonon washe way the natives pronounced his family name. With Earl McCabe, his partner in ruling the island, he estabilished Bokononism, as a means to help the poor islanders escape their miserable reality by practicing a simple religion.

The Bokononism has many interesting aspects:

-As Bokonon said, it is forbidden. In his idea, in fact, make religion illegal would make even more interesting and exciting practice. Arranging with McCabe that Bokononism be outlawed and eternally persecuted by the government, he went living into the jungle, supposedly hiding.

-All religion, including Bokononism and all its texts, is formed entirely of lies; however, if you believe and adhere to these lies, you will at least have peace of mind, and perhaps live a good life.

-The Books of Bokonon are ever-growing, and Bokonon use the present history to adjust the religion.

-The olny thing sacred to Bokononists is man.

-The creation of a religious language, with many interesting terms that explains the main concepts of Bokononism. For example, the Bokononist says "Busy, busy, busy" to explain how interconneted everything is; "Now I will destroy the whole word..." what a Bokononist says before committing suicide; "Foma" that means harmless untruth, a lie that, if used correcty, can make one a better person. And many others.

The interesting thing is that Bokononism works. The people of San Lorenzo are happier than before, and everybody knows that Bokononism is a lie, but a good one, a foma, and they follow it.

"I wanted all things
To seem to make some sense,
So we could all be happy, yes,
Instead of tense.
And I made up lies
So that they all fit nice,
And I made this sad world
A par-a-dise."

Books of Bokonon, Calypsos, 58