#Goodbye

A farewell ritual is a festival of virtue to see off the departing, and simultaneously a perfect stage for the remaining to satisfy their own vanity. Bouquets are touted as symbols of gratitude, but in reality they signal a desire to go home early. Farewell speeches are woven as if pledging eternity, yet serve only as an excuse for future business engagements. At the banquet, glasses are raised repeatedly while minds quietly calculate the best moment to stand up. Still, decorum forbids breaking form, compelling a performance of smiles mixed with tears.