Tradition

There is an ongoing debate between preservers of tradition and progressive trailblazers - or so they may each call themselves. From opening the door to occupations, most aspects of life these days seem to be a battleground for these people, with no end to this war in sight.

I have a third perspective which I would like to share. As a member of a multi-cultural family who exercises Eastern and Western cultural norms and celebrates numerous holidays from multiple countries, I’ve given some thought into the subject of tradition. I’ve criticized traditions and been under fire for them myself, and wondered: what is the point of tradition? I believe that tradition is like a window through which people can reach out to their ancestors. Some are more direct than others. “El Dia de Los Muertos'” (or The Day of the Dead) for example is explicit in its connection with the dead. It features connection with deceased family members with traditions meant to celebrate the dead and welcome their visiting souls.

However I think that the comparison of ‘window’ can be applied to almost every tradition, holiday or not. For example, why is the tradition in many western cultures for men to hold the door open for women so persistent?A common defense is that men have “always” done this and therefor it’s now common courtesy. However, I think that part of what is meant by that is that it connects them to lessons that their fathers and those before them held. If pushed a little further, people often recall comments and lessons from their fathers connected with the tradition, like “always treat women with respect because they do the hard work of having and raising children”. Often, in fact these lessons have value even if it isn’t directly connected with the gesture itself. Conversely, girls who appreciate this gesture may feel a sense of coming of age, that they have become women, like their mothers did, giving them a sense of connection with their mothers. This helps such women learn from these idol figures in the life. Another hotly contested example would be Thanksgiving. Some argue that it’s colonizing connotations and events surrounding the pilgrims’ landing on Plymouth rock are not worthy of celebration, while most count their blessings and spend some time with their family. As a proponent, I feel that it connects me with America’s past. From recipes passed down (and the anecdotes that accompany them) as well as stories of the first Thanksgiving and the ones that followed, connection with the past is integral to the tradition. Last Thanksgiving, I read a short account of a Great Depression Thanksgiving in which a father saved up for some potatoes and meat for the meal. That simple boiled potatoes and meat were a luxury taught me a little about perseverance. In other words, this little window to the past gave me an opportunity to learn something new.

So when do anti-traditionalists have a point? When the harms of opening the window outweigh what the past has to give, the tradition becomes outdated. For example, early child marriages are traditional in many communities throughout the world. However, child marriages were born as a way to ease economic hardship and reinforce male domination, and have no lessons or examples to offer in terms of perseverance, respect, gratitude or any other laudable value. As such, it is widely accepted that child marriages cannot benefit from the “it’s a tradition” argument.

Tradition is difficult to define because of its complicated roots and strong, inexplicable emotions it can conjure. However, I believe there is harm as well as great goodness on both sides of the argument, and hope that this offers another point of view. Hopefully you’ll be a little more prepared when someone tells you that wearing a strict uniform is tradition. :)