The Importance of Ritual
Some people love ritual. I’m not sure why, but it becomes a big part of certain individuals’ lives
Take, for example, my daughter’s dance company. Every year, they sell tickets to the recital in the same fashion. Parents are expected to stand in line for hours in the hot sun as the three company staff members thumb through paper tickets and exchange cash or checks for five different show dates. It’s so time consuming I want to scream, “Can’t we do this online?”
But people love ritual. There are parents who camp out the night before just to be first in line. They take their kids with them and have a big party outside the dance company doors. Some tell me they look forward to this event all year.
Huh? I stopped camping out for tickets after a Who concert in the 1980s. I simply can’t understand why this ticket-buying ritual is so important.
When it comes to companies, ritual is also important. Take away casual Friday and you would think the world was coming to an end.
I think we need to examine the importance of ritual and understand the essence of what people really want. To me, it all boils down to a sense of connection. If you take away certain rituals – the sleepovers for tickets, for example – how can you still ensure that folks get the sense of connection? Sometimes setting up a “blog” isn’t good enough. There’s more to connection. You just have to find it.
