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It's an interesting idea but doesn't really sync up with my experience. If recurring communal activity has a positive psychological effect then why do people (
by rubicon33 2y ago
It's an interesting idea but doesn't really sync up with my experience.
If recurring communal activity has a positive psychological effect then why do people (myself included) seem to have such a disdain for meetings.
"Check in" meetings really are the worst. They're often a very cut-and-dry "here's what I did last week, here's what I'm doing this week" kind of thing and I get the sense that almost everyone hates them.
Maybe the difference here is that in the monasteries the "meetings" are not personal. Nobody is going to a chapel to talk about themselves, or be put on display. It's very much a low-pressure communal environment which IMO makes all the difference.
- zoogeny 2y agoI think it is possible to confuse a positive psychological effect in the sense of bringing you joy as opposed to a positive psychological effect that results in improved communal activity. I mean to say, not all benefits to a community are coincident with benefits to the individual. In fact, that would be a pretty Christian idea, that the sacrifice you make as an individual (to your enjoyment) results in a benefit for the community. That is what I meant about me feeling selfish. It may be the case I am prioritizing my comfort over the needs of the community. Rituals are a public display of a willingness to sacrifice, one that is shared amongst a community. The monks see themselves sacrificing for the sake of each other when they show up for the unpleasant 5am prayers.