The master was preparing to lead the people in the Great Ceremony. As he was putting the final touches on the sacred place, a stray dog wandered into the area where people were gathering, so he took the dog and tied it to a tree before he began the ceremony.
Through the years, the people forgot almost all of the details of the ceremony except one: they remembered to tie a dog to a tree at the start of their gatherings.
Do you know the origins of the rituals and traditions that you practice? An introjection is an idea that we accept without question. Think of how many things you do in your life that you have always done; think of your introjected rituals and traditions. Where did they originate? Why did they come about, and more importantly, why do you still practice them?
If you are doing things simply because you have always done them, ask yourself why. Habits are hard to break, and we are certainly creatures of habit. But when you question why you do what you do, you might find that there are some origins of your traditions that will only deepen your resolve to practice them. On the other hand, you might also find that a deeper understanding of your rituals and traditions leads you to abandoning them.
Socrates famously noted “the unexamined life is not worth living,” and not knowing why you do what you do is living an unexamined life. I don’t know if I would go as far as Socrates in terms of saying that life is ever not worth living, but I would agree that an examined life is a pretty interesting one to live. Take some time to reflect on why you do what you do. The more you understand the reasons behind your patterns, the more you can avoid simply tying a proverbial dog to the rituals and traditions in your life.
