Re: New thread time while you're all here - religious belief and mental health where are the lines?

On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 09:27:28 +0100, "Jymn" <jymnat@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

In urp, Ali wrote in response to Jymn:


But then I'd call that routine, not ritual.

And there in lies the question, when/how do you distinguish between the two.
I suspect the answer is "intent"
<snip>

Yes. And also at the same time no. Yes, if you intend it to be a
ritual then it is. But having intent doesn't make it a ritual
either, if that's not what you're intending.

That makes sense in my head :)

*Nods* And yet when I try (unsuccessfully) to define ritual,
the type that I'm referring to above involves the props. But
not the tools, because tools are useful. So yes, there is a
difference - In my head at least.

However one man's tool is another man's prop
(Not sure that came out as I intended)

Well, it made me laugh :)


<snipped>

The props are all the pretty things that I didn't actually
need and didn't make my sandwich appear any faster or taste
any better. The tool was the knife because it's hard to cut
bread with a spoon <g>.

Depends how determined you are ;~)

True. It's not impossible, just a bit more difficult. But then if
I'd have bought bread rolls instead of loaf I wouldn't have had
the problem at all :)


And afterwards, not only have I got a plate and a knife to
wash, but I've got a table to clear. I got the right outcome,
but I put twice as much effort in as was necessary to achieve
my goal.

Agreed, but if the pretty setting means you take time out from running
around to have ten minutes relaxation and something to eat. And, if without
it you wouldn't stop and eat. Then it serves a deeper purpose than just
frippery.
Even if it just adds an emotional lift to an otherwise boring functional
necessity, then it may be very worthwhile.

*Nods* There's the people who like/get a lift from the pretties
and then there's the others who, um, don't :) I suspect one lot
can't walk past a shop front full of silver jewellery without
going 'oooooooh shiny!' and the others walk straight past because
they know silver is a PITA to clean when it tarnishes.

Neither's bad, just different.


So at a stretch you could see the above as a ritual, complete
with pretty but ultimately useless props. Yes/no?

I could, but refer the honourable lady to my previous comments.
It's not that I disagree at all, just that I can see all sorts of reasons
for frippery. Even though I tend to avoid a lot of it most of the time.

*Nods* There's Occasions (capital O intended) and then there's
occasions.

Individuals will punctuate differently.


But, sometimes it is worth spoiling yourself and going the whole hog just
for you.

The 40 year old single parent me goes 'Ha! For me? How
indulgent!' But the 20 year old pre-parent (whom I can just about
remember) is nodding and recalling bubble baths that aren't
interrupted every 10 minutes by 'Muuuuuuuum? Where's my <insert
random item> gone?'

Practicality versus indulgence?


<snip>
Or whoever next :~)

<Sits down and patiently waits for Fang and Kro'dog>

I'm not sure anyone would surprise me at the moment,

Oh, I can think of a few surprises. I won't name them, they might
just turn up <g>. Be careful what you wish for, etc :)

--
Ali ///\oo/\\\
Aahz' Law: "The best way to get information on Usenet is
not to ask a question, but to post the wrong information."
.

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