So from that stand point, it is the unpredictable and varied nature of life that makes it interesting. In my own opinion, it is the people who seek to maintain complete control and routine over their lives that are most unhappy. Therefore, I can totally respect your fear of ritual as a stagnation or a rut.

On the other hand, I myself am a sucker for ritual. There are many activities in which I take part simply because of the ritual of it. It could be as mundane as contemplating my cup of coffee in the morning, or it can be as spiritually profound as meditation. I do, however, tend to be drawn more toward ritual of small things. This is why I enjoy tequila shots so much, or smoking a hookah.

The way I see it, and I guess this is my main point, that it is against the backdrop of routine, that change and the unpredictable are at their most powerful. Think of it like music. A melody of single changing notes can sound very pretty and be very moving. But if you place this seemingly random, meandering melody against a repetative basseline or even full chord rhythm, all of a sudden certain moods and emotions are thrown into powerful relief. And, when the melody wanders too much, because of the still static rhythm part, you know how to get back home, and start again.

That is why I think ritual will always have a powerful place in the world. Many people handle changes by assessing them in the context of their ritualized religion. This is part of the power of religion. But not all ritual has to be spiritual or even maintained as strictly as religious ritual. Like everything else, ritual can change. But then you are only changing the bassline to better emphasize certain qualities of the melody. Ritual can be modified to change which parts of life are perceived as most interesting in the same way. This is why I embrace ritual, even if I have no strict adherence to any particular ritual following or religion. I find my ritualistic anchor in the mundane.

I heard a rumor that you are going to be home at Christmas time. is this true? I ask because I’ll be back for a few days too.

Hit me up, yo.

Later,
Rich

I am well and I already have the guitar at home, I hope! Mailing things to Niger is expensive, but if you want to mail it to home I might be able to send bring it here. Ah who knows. Hope your well!

hey, tuesday is right around the corner, and everything seems to be happening all at once. it’s really coming down to it now, and in the midst of everything, i find that i have a dinner with annie (i’ll explain when i see you) and her parents tomorrow. right smack dab in the middle of my travel preparations. everything seems to be happening all at once, and i’m starting to feel that it might be struggle to take care of it all adequately before i go. but hey, it’s an incredible time to be alive.

hope all is well, i’ll be there in a few weeks.