On the Modern Day Ritual...

"What if I told you insane was working fifty hours a week in some office for fifty years at the end of which they tell you to piss off; ending up in some retirement village hoping to die before suffering the indignity of trying to make it to the toilet on time? Wouldn’t you consider that to be insane?"

- Garland Greene, (Steve Buscemi), Con Air

I would posit that the term “ritual” is most commonly associated religious practice or cult behaviour. It’s something people do in order to actualise the myths they believe in. The Egyptians did it, the Greeks did it, the Christians still do it, and it’s become clear to me that in general, most people will buy into ritual without even realising that they are.

Nowadays it’s a commonly held belief, in western culture especially, that once we've arrived on this planet, and after we've completed orientation, best practise is to then endeavour to make money and, for bonus points, stay out of everyone else’s way as they endeavour to do the same. From the check-out-attendant to the pastor of your local church to the CEOs of this world, everyone is in it for the long haul and all with one aim in mind – making money(1). Whether it be to provide for your family or fund a trip overseas or buy a new car so that you can show-off to your equally superficial neighbours, it’s a simple fact of life (and a catchy song from a 60s musical) that money makes the world go 'round. We go through school (or not, depending(2)), work the same hours for 5-6 days a week and at the end of the day when we’re old and grey, what do we have to show for it? A super fund that might just cover the cost of living out the rest of your life in some retirement home. We do it because we’re trying to manifest the myth that working and sticking to our little box will give us the greatest benefit at the end of the day – money.

And I’m not trying to say that this is inherently wrong or that we should be trying to overthrow the economic system, because I actually don’t think we have a better alternative at the moment. What I am trying to point out is the depressing situation this puts us humans in. However, the more and more I look at other people’s lives and see this ritual progressing from day to day to day to bloody day, I think surely the end does not justify the means. Security and enough money to live on after the money-making years are through cannot be worth the cost of an entire life(3). Life is priceless and we shouldn’t be spending our lives 9 hours a day, 5-6 days a week doing the same thing we’ve been doing for 30 years, fighting for material wealth.

I’m not saying I can fix this problem or I have an alternative – that sort of thing is for individuals to decide for themselves. I’m just saying it's probably beneficial to be aware of what you’re getting yourself into before you find yourself locked into the religion of society.

As for me? I’ll be doing my damnedest to live differently.

(1) Statistically as close to 'everyone' as makes no difference.
(2) Statistically there is a bit less international conformity here - enough to point out the difference.
(3) Statistically probably closer to 40% of a lifetime... although changing the weighting of different years of life may yield alternative metaphorical results