Thoughtful

When I first came on to campus, one of the first things I did besides carry all my things into my dorm room was eat dinner in the cafeteria.  I loved the cafe.  I have plenty of memories there, and it was certainly nice to almost never have to worry about what I was going to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

But there was something I learned in a hurry about the cafe.  Everyone prayed before they ate.  If three or four people sit down at a table all at once, everyone takes a moment to pray silently.  If you sit down and your friends are already there in the middle of conversation, you still take a moment and pray silently before you eat.  No one looks at you funny.  Unless you don't pray.

Praying before you eat is certainly not a bad thing, but how often were those fifteen or thirty second prayers authentic?  I'm sure sometimes they were, but I imagine sometimes they were not.

I remember one of my professors telling about a time when he sat down to eat and did not stop to pray.  Someone actually questioned him about it.

"Aren't you going to pray?"

"Nope."

He was trying to stir the pot, but I think it was a pot that needed stirring.


Do you think habits and rituals like this have worth?  At what point do you think they become nothing more than habits and rituals that are more hurtful than helpful?