With each passing year, technology adds to the daily rituals of our lives. First it was checking voicemail, then it was checking email, finally with social media reaching mass adoption, we’ve now added a daily (or hourly even) check of Twitter, Facebook and other online tools that connect us instantly to the lives of others who comprise our community.

The word “ritual” however holds its meaning in religious observation. A tradition passed down from generation to generation. True rituals are bigger than ourselves and connect us with our past and our past’s past.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Stonehenge in person. While the origin of this famous historic site is often debated, it is arguably a significant testament to the power of ritual. Archeologists speculate its construction evolved over several phases spanning 1500 years.

1500 years!

If an average lifespan in 8000 BC was 50 years – that means the ritual of Stonehenge belonged to 30 generations of people. A ritual so much larger than any one moment in time.

While so many of us have adopted social media strategies in business to connect with our online communities every instant of every day, are we cheating ourselves out of the bigger picture of creating something bigger than ourselves?

My wish for you this holiday season is that you find peace away from your iPhone, Blackberry, Twitter, Facebook… That you spend time celebrating family traditions and rituals that bring value far greater than the much sought after “Social Media ROI”.

And that you then take time to reflect on how you might incorporate social media into a longer lasting endeavour than a fleeting status update.

These people have:

* Epic Change
* PS22 Chorus

The power in this is where true wealth lies. Peace!