Confucius insisted on the importance of rituals. The reason he loved ceremonies more than sheep is that he believed in the value of li: etiquette, tradition and ritual. This might seem very outdated and conservative at first glance. But in fact many of us long for particular rituals – that meal mum cooked for us whenever we were sick, for example, or the yearly birthday outing, or our wedding vows. We understand that certain premeditated, deliberate and precise gestures stir our emotions deeply. Rituals make our intentions clear, and they help us understand how to behave.
