I think that ritual has to do with structure. While grad school was not easy, neither was it hard, because it formed a comforting structural framework for my life. Part of my identity was Mark Dalius, part-time MBA student at Boston University, who is at the school two nights a week, and why don’t I tell you a little bit about this case study we just did that I think is really interesting?
There was no option to just skip class because part of the structure, part of the ritual, was weekly attendance. It’s no different than going to church on Sunday or watching an NFL game; you just don’t miss it because you just don’t miss it.
But it’s a ritual. It’s a structure. It’s still not quite discipline.
I don’t think that ritual is bad, by the way. Establishing a repetitive process for crucial tasks keeps our operating rooms clean and functional, and helps pilots land airplanes, and makes manufacturing efficient, among countless other things.
But is ritual enough?