Once Morephus said this to me: 'You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.'
When he said that, I began to wonder how many others he said the same thing to... was it a tradition of sorts? I thought I would start a thread about traditions, I know it seems to be too general but it isn't if we think about some of the answers to the following questions:
1. How often should something be done before it becomes a 'traditions'? Once? Twice? One hundred times?
2. Do you have traditions in your own society that you wish you could change? Why?
3. Should modern inovation replace what might seem as primative traditions?
this is a good thread.
i think..for something to be considered a tradition..it should be practiced from one generation to the next. Social traditions should be practiced among most..if not all..groups of the same social standing..for several generations before it can be considered an actual tradition.
i cant think of any traditions that are practised in my society that has not already begun to change...such as marrying within your own race and religion...as well as the "traditional" role of women in a household. Both of these traditions have been changing for some time now..and these changes are becoming accepted more every day.
im not too sure how "modern innovation" can take the place of many traditions...unless you are referring to traditional working/culinary traditions... But cultural traditons have to be dissolved by the will of each person..if it is to be dissolved at all that is.
but who is to say whether a tradition is primitive?...there are several times where a government has to place laws to ban certain traditions..such as in certain Asian countries where foot binding..a painful tradition where the feet of young girls were bound tightly to make their feet look smaller (usually 5 inches in size)...was forbidden by law because it was thought primitive and cruel. If this wasnt done..to this day there would still be generations of women practising this.
(not sure if i answered the question..but this is my take on it)
The word "tradition" comes from the same word we get "trade" from and has reference to those belief and customs passed on or given to succeeding generations ("traded to").
Some traditions are based on error but one could also argue that the wisdom of several generations tends to be greater than that of any present generation under the normal circumstances of the world.
Civilizations tend to diminish when they abandon good traditions and beliefs and favour "innovation"; change for the sake of change, change based on the proud attitude that "we are more sophisticated than our forebears". This seems to plague our modern world, especially in the West.
Generally (very generally!) I think traditions are a godo thing because they give identity and roots to a person or culture or nation and that tends to have a strengthening and stabilizing effect.
Each tradition must be viewed individually as to its merits, and we should be cautious before doing away with what has lasted a long time.
Dubhdara.