Rituals, whether religious or personal, serve the fundamental human need for connection and belonging. Throughout history, religious rituals have connected individuals to the divine or their tribe, providing a sense of belonging to something greater. As some traditional religious rituals become obsolete due to lack of belief, new rituals emerge to fill the void, reflecting cultural values and the innate human impulse for rituals. Examples like Burning Man demonstrate how modern rituals can satisfy the need for connection, even without religious faith. At a personal level, family rituals, like cooking a generational recipe, offer a similar sense of identity, connection to heritage, and meaning. Overall, rituals play a crucial role in fulfilling the inherent human desire for connection, history, and belonging.
While religion may play less of a role in many people's lives, rituals--the lifeblood of religion--remain central to the human experience. Listen as Michael Norton of the Harvard Business School explains how and why rituals remain at the center of our lives--they give meaning to life-cycle events and secular holidays, calm our fears, and give us a sense of control when the pressure to perform can otherwise overwhelm us.