Makes you wonder how many things being explained as „religious rituals“ or „holy sites“ have actually just been something entirely trite, banal, or people messing with each other.

I had to laugh big time when I learned about the sheer amount of dick graffiti and explicit scenes in ancient caves or buildings, and how historians have attempted to purge all naughtiness from the records.

Also makes me wonder how many things which are religious rituals at the same time was trite and banal messaging. Religion was not compartmentalized from the rest of life like it often is now.

Rituals are bigger than religion, they help in any number of interactions that are easier if everyone knows what they're doing and what to expect.

(You could argue that TCP/IP's "handshake" is a ritual; each part has meaning)

And some rituals are societal; like washing hands before a meal. Those can last even beyond it being as necessary as it once was.

The society of HN has a ritual of down playing products that simplify processes for non-developers (the famous dropbox comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9224) and claiming that we could build some product in a weekend (Dan Luu's essay summarizes it well https://danluu.com/sounds-easy/). These are worthy of immortalizing in cuneiform for our descendants so they may know our hubris.

I should order "No wireless. Less space than a Nomad. Lame." as perhaps the perfection of that.