Ours is a culture which craves variety. We seek out the new and the different; we want variety in our food, our music, our clothes, our entertainment. But this pursuit of the new and different also may lead us to change jobs, change houses and cars, and even change relationships. We seem to tire so easily of anything we have to repeat. Yet there is also in this life tremendous value in repetition itself. It takes many, many years to come to know and understand another human being. To really appreciate the depth, subtlety and beauty of an artistic, literary, or musical masterpiece requires a lifetime of study and concentration. T.S. Eliot learned Italian so that he could read Dante's Divine Comedy in the original, which he memorized and repeated to himself over and over again while waiting for a train or a bus. The value of repetitive prayer and meditation lies precisely in the deepening effect of the repetitive act of turning within and surrendering. While we all do enjoy the fruits of variety, let's keep in mind that perhaps our most profound experiences in life come from repetition.