The person who thinks he has found the ultimate truth is wrong.

An old Apache storyteller reminds us

Nothing is exciting if you know what the outcome is going to be.

Men sometimes confess they love war because it puts them in touch with the experience of being alive. In going to the office every day, you don't get that experience, but suddenly in war, you are ripped back into being alive. Life is pain; life is suffering; and life is horror - but, by God, you are alive.

The function of (heroic) symbols is to give you a sense of Aha! Yes, I know what it is, it's myself.

If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.

If you want to find out what it means to have a society without any rituals, read the New York Times.