Here's the way I understand it (and why mention of the Kolinar to "purge all emotion" confused the shit out of me, too):
Vulcans do not lack, and never have lacked, all emotion. Sarek is not atypical for loving his wife, he's atypical for loving a human. In fact, Vulcan emotions are supposedly deeper, stronger, and more difficult to control than human emotions.
Proof that this Kolinar doesn't purge emotion completely is the Next Gen episode "Sarek" wherein the character's emotional control has been weakened by Bendii Syndrome. Because his control is weakening, he begins to empathically broadcast them to the entire ship, causing people to be angry and fight for no reason. Picard offers to, through a mind meld, share Sarek's emotions long enough for the ambassador to discuss treaty with the people he's there to talk to. Picard has to feel everything Sarek feels, and it's pretty draining.
So. There. I don't know what this Kolinar is supposed to do, but it doesn't "purge all emotion." At best, it's probably a religious ceremony that somehow helps to make a Vulcan's emotional control complete. Maybe if he'd gone through it, Spock wouldn't have lost his cool.
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Date: 2009-05-30 10:31 am (UTC)Vulcans do not lack, and never have lacked, all emotion. Sarek is not atypical for loving his wife, he's atypical for loving a human. In fact, Vulcan emotions are supposedly deeper, stronger, and more difficult to control than human emotions.
Proof that this Kolinar doesn't purge emotion completely is the Next Gen episode "Sarek" wherein the character's emotional control has been weakened by Bendii Syndrome. Because his control is weakening, he begins to empathically broadcast them to the entire ship, causing people to be angry and fight for no reason. Picard offers to, through a mind meld, share Sarek's emotions long enough for the ambassador to discuss treaty with the people he's there to talk to. Picard has to feel everything Sarek feels, and it's pretty draining.
So. There. I don't know what this Kolinar is supposed to do, but it doesn't "purge all emotion." At best, it's probably a religious ceremony that somehow helps to make a Vulcan's emotional control complete. Maybe if he'd gone through it, Spock wouldn't have lost his cool.
That's what makes the most sense to me.