Clarissa's Blog

Nobody does the convoluted routine of a complex dress code anymore. Nobody sits down to a multi-course dinner service. But the idea behind these practices never went away. It changed, but it’s still very much there.

What is the idea? Why is all of this necessary? The complicated meal structures of 19th-century aristocracy existed to demonstrate self-control. They enacted the belief that civilization was more important than animal instincts. We don’t throw ourselves on the chow like savages. We place our desire to eat inside the strictures of something that goes way beyond physical need.

Today, this exists, for example, in the form of the complicated morning and evening routines of successful people. It’s the same desire for form, structure, and deferred gratification. More often than not, the rituals are performed alone. They’re not for show.

Again, the difference is easiest to observe on different ends of the spectrum. Some people have to be begged to make their beds, and they sincerely struggle to understand why it’s necessary.