For me, ritual is great, but too much ritual can turn me into a robot. If I choose the right rituals for my autopilot program, I may be a fitter, happier, more productive robot, but I'm still a robot. The appeal seems to be, to paraphrase Simon & Garfunkel, that a robot feels no pain. Constant ritual keeps the demons at bay -- ask any autistic person.
I've learned, though, that to feel truly alive I need to turn off the autopilot, feel the emotions that come up, both painful and joyful, and accept the way that they demand to inform my direction on a moment-to-moment basis, often in ways contrary to what I had planned. That's life.
I've learned, though, that to feel truly alive I need to turn off the autopilot, feel the emotions that come up, both painful and joyful, and accept the way that they demand to inform my direction on a moment-to-moment basis, often in ways contrary to what I had planned. That's life.