Ritual and Religion

I guess the point I was getting at is that in today's world, people have merged the concept of ritual and religion to a point where ritual is religion. The traditional concept of "religion" is some kind of belief in "God," in whatever form that might take. But today, I think it can be said that there are people whose "religion" is comprised entirely of ritualistic things, like strict adherence to recycling, or an almost rabid insistence on using a cloth shopping bag rather than plastic or paper.

Note: I'm picking on the environmentalists because I have come to believe -- really, I have -- that for many "environmentalism" has become a religion. They find within the ritualistic practices of environmental sensitivity a kind of self justification. Those on the extreme fringes of it believe that the earth itself is a living, sentient being that must be treated with compassion, such as a person or a puppy might be treated as well. I'm not making this up ... I've asked people point-blank if they believe that, and some have said, "Yes."

If we remove the spiritual aspect of this, then I would say there is great comfort in ritual and routine. That might be one of the reasons why people gravitate towards that. The notion of pure anarchy is, I'm sure, quite frightening to people. It is to me.

The ironic thing is that the human imagination can quite quickly become bored with routine and ritual. At that time they seek something new and exciting. So there is this never ending cycle -- oscillation? -- seeking routine and change, routine and change.