Rituelen

By Herman De Dijn

Book Description

In a world where traditional anchors seem to be dissolving, philosopher Herman De Dijn explores a profound paradox at the heart of modern existence. While we celebrate our liberation from inherited customs and religious practices, crafting our own identities and lifestyles with unprecedented freedom, something essential may be slipping away beneath the surface.

De Dijn argues that despite our apparent emancipation from tradition, the human hunger for enchantment and meaningful ritual persists. This scholarly yet accessible exploration reveals why people cannot truly exist without ceremonies that connect them to something greater than themselves, and why wonder remains an irreplaceable element of human experience.

Through thoughtful examination of contemporary spiritual life, the author weaves together fundamental questions about how we navigate between personal autonomy and inherited wisdom. He investigates the tension between scientific understanding and the need for mystery, between individual freedom and communal tradition, and between secular living and spiritual longing in our postmodern age.

Rather than dismissing either ancient practices or modern independence, De Dijn presents a nuanced vision of how ritual and reverence might find their place in contemporary life. This thought-provoking work offers readers a deeper understanding of why the sacred continues to call to us, even in an era that prizes rational individualism above collective meaning-making.