"the value of tradition".
So here goes.
tra·di·tion
/trəˈdiSH(ə)n/
noun
- 1.the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
When I was younger I took tradition for granted and even resented it, at times. Now whether you feel tradition is good or bad or even have a hard time being so black and white about it, I feel as though nothing should be taken for granted.
Must have been around the holidays when I first learned the term; my mother could have been explaining something to the effect of why we "had to go to Gram's again" (poor woman). I think that if not all, at least some children - one time or another - have felt overwhelmed by family events. It's outside the comfort zone of home, deadlines are making your typically-lovely parents a bit crusty and there are seemingly hoards of tall masses forcing you to eat strange foods while making the earth positively buzz with the baritone of their collective voice. Plus it usually smells different there, and if that's not enough to set the mood, I don't know what is.
I was obviously one of the aforementioned children. I was miserable! Why so loud? Why so much? Why am I SO TIIIIRED. This was a nightmare. Why would anyone do this to themselves? Especially adults! Adults can go to bed whenever they want and eat whatever they want; surely the pinnacle of the making one's own mind, and yet here they were. Without fail. Every. Damn. Year. All I wanted was to simply go home and be around my sister (who was often loud, but in an exciting, pleasant way and in a controlled, familiar environment).
Some traditions, or even traditional thinking, is harmful. I won't get into these because I feel as though we all have some examples already floating around in our heads (how uninteresting to write about). Having said that, I will say that I believe that other traditions have been very helpful, if not at large, then at least to me, specifically. They helped me get a better grasp on social queues and behavior in a way that I would not have been able to learn from reading a book. They taught me patience. They taught me compassion. Routine/how much I liked routine/found comfort in it. Celebration. Obligation. Empathy; to be able to see through another's eyes, if only for a moment when I realized that we see some friends or family members because they do not have as socially busy lives as we do, leaving them yearning for connection in such a way. These times also helped me learn about some things I was interested in and wanted to learn more about. Things that I no longer practiced in the modern world and, as such, would have never come across/even known about if I were to just pedal my own way through my life. You don't know what you don't know.
I think that the concept of tradition is much like the concept of elders; they can be very cool, interesting, useful, lovely, and they can also be jagged old gits who have far surpassed their use in the modern world. I don't think that we should always respect them. I think that we should assess them individually. (Pardon the frankness. I will likely feel this way about my peers someday when we are all elders.)
I was actually thinking about my favorite holiday memories recently: eating steak-umms, instant mashed potatoes and eggnog while watching the Boris Karloff version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas with my sister. Staying up so late with my mother one Christmas that we made it to the next morning, only to take a drive together over to a superstore and gather a mass of holiday accoutrements. These personal favorites all come from tossing tradition out the window. I think this best showcases the concept of balance; I am most comfortable in routine, but sometimes I want adventure/excitement/a change/a treat. Is there value in tradition? Absolutely. And there's also value in ignoring it and even creating your own.
definition credit to google dictionary
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