Rituals

No matter how simple or complex, we can say that almost every person in the world has some sort of ritual. Everyone does a particular thing on a day to day basis or every time a certain situation arises. It might be a daily coffee and bagel from the corner bistro or a special handshake done every time you see a close friend. It might be something beneficial, such as brushing you teeth before bed, harmful, such as smoking every night after dinner, or random and silly, such as avoiding cracks in the sidewalk.

Growing up, one of the more beneficial rituals that were instilled in me by my parents was the need to shower every night before bed. Regardless of how tired or late it might have been, I had to take a shower before bed. I just couldn’t fall asleep until I took a shower. Now as a college student, late nights and homework have turned that nighttime shower into a morning ritual, but regardless, developing a ritual of showering every night before bed instilled in me the value of taking care of my personal hygiene.

I feel that a big part of the reason that I developed and maintained a ritual for so long is that I started it from childhood. As a child there was no negotiation about my ritual. Similarly, I feel that if we instill in our youth rituals about things like recycling, eating right, exercise, and personal hygiene from a young age, our society will one day reap the benefits of a society that is disciplined and does not compromise the importance of these positive rituals.