“Rituals performed without respoect, mourning without grief, I cannot bear to see it,” Confucious exclaims (An. 326). Human psychology, not least in our emotional dispositions, functions better with a guide or road map. This is especially relevant at points in life that are particularly significant (the birth of a child, the coming of age of a teenager, family reunions), or or during episodes that prove  taxing or stressful (the death of a close relative or friend, separation). Rituals offer certainty in periods of uncertainty. In times of rupture, shock or emotional crisis, it helps to be able to rely on form and formality: being told how to walk and talk, how to dress, what to eat or not to eat, what prayer or song to recite and when, how or whom to condole. Such formal pointers offer comfort and help us stay on our feet both physically and mentally. (Excerpt from the book “Chinese Thought From Confucius to Cook Ding” by Roel Sterckx)

Confucius

“Imagine yourself lost in the middle of a busy city. As much as you might admire and want to spend time enjoying the architecture of the buildings and squares in front of you, it is secondary to your wish to find your way out of the city. (..) The only way you will ever know where the road you are on will lead you to is by walking along it. But you have finally realised that the fun lies in the walking, not in analysing the map or even following the road to the end.” - Roel Sterckx (”Chinese Thought From Confucius to Cook Ding”)

Richard Sennet

Week 3: On the road We went to see the most popular sceneries around the so-called Golden Circle and along the southern coast of Iceland.

Seneca

Week 2: Not diagnosed A lot of restaturants and excursions are cancelled due to the lack of tourists coming in. So we had to postpone some sightseeing for next weekend. Hopefully the weather willl be more predictable and stable then.

Week 1: The Quarantine

Willem van de Velde the Younger's “Gouden Leeuw at the Battle of the Texel, 21 August 1673” 

Brian Eno - Weightless

See the lonely boy, out on the weekend Trying to make it pay Can’t relate to joy, he tries to speak and Can’t begin to say   Think I'll pack it in and buy a pick-up Take it down to L.A. Find a place to call my own and try to fix up Start a brand new day The woman I'm thinking of, she loved me all up But I'm so down today She's so fine, she's in my mind I hear her callin' See the lonely boy, out on the weekend Trying to make it pay Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and Can't begin to say She got pictures on the wall, they make me look up From her big brass bed Now I'm running down the road trying to stay up Somewhere in her head The woman I'm thinking of, she loved me all up But I'm so down today She's so fine she's in my mind I hear her callin' See the lonely boy, out on the weekend Trying to make it pay Can't relate to joy, he tries to speak and Can't begin to say