The value of Longitudinal Epiphanies (“discoveries that can only be made by walking the same path again and again”) is blatantly acknowledged by many of the Philosophies of Mind/Body.
Repetitiousness is boring to most people because the brain craves novel experiences. Others find repetitiousness comforting; the predictability of anything is a relief given the apparent chaos of the world.
Leaning to either tendency is perhaps natural, though in a sense less than ideal. To be trapped in the perceived-misery of perceived-monotony and to be caught in the desperate drive to escape them is a similar dilemma.
It has been said that the distinction between a Routine and a Ritual is that, while Routine tends to stagnate or drain Energy, Ritual builds and cultivates Energy.
The line between these can be blurry, no doubt.
But if we can transcend the privilege of our petty boredom, if we can embrace repetitiousness, we may realize that the novelty we seek has been waiting right where we left it. When we are less obsessed with the repetitiveness of an action or routine, and pay attention to the inner-experience we are having, we can discover a rich and perpetually novel circumstance which is inherently refreshed with every iteration.
You cannot enter the same river twice. You cannot repeat a breath. And only by breathing constantly, by stepping into the river repeatedly, can you truly experience how much change is incessantly unfolding.
| CHIBOTaiChi | |YinYangYOGA| 