tradition 1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc. from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or practice 2. something that is handed down 3. a long established or inherited way of thinking or acting 4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices 5. a customary or characteristic method or manner 6. in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, unwritten codes, laws, doctrines, teachings, sayings, acts, etc. regarded as handed down from Moses, Jesus, Muhammad.
With respect for all our traditions, please notice that a tradition can and may be correct or mistaken, right or wrong, good or bad.
Usually when a law or regulation is changed, we get used to the change and obey it, even though we may not think that the change was a good idea and personally liked the old one better.
But, when it comes to traditions, we’re not so easily accepting of change—in fact it often seems that the very idea of deliberately changing a tradition is almost contradictory in itself!
However, actually our traditions do change but usually gradually and imperceptibly (and sometimes mistakenly as well).
For example,
– What’s the proper skirt length for a well-dressed woman?
– If I say, “Thank you”, and you reply, “No problem”, is that polite or inappropriate?
– Is missing Mass on Sunday without an adequate reason a mortal sin for which you could burn in the fires of Hell forever?
– Should a man greet another man with a kiss on the cheek?
– Could a woman be elected president?
– Is Heaven only for my coreligionists or can any good person end up there?
– Is it wrong to use contraceptives?
– If it’s written in the Bible, it must be always true, no matter who, what, or when.
– If Jesus spoke Aramaic, not Latin, why should the Mass be in Latin?
– Shouldn’t real Americans be Republicans? Democrats? Liberals? Conservatives?
– Shouldn’t the man be head of the family?
– The U.S. should keep out aliens, foreigners, socialists, communists, gays, Africans, Asians, Latins, etc.
– Is gender a matter of anatomy? social customs? upbringing? personal preference?
Excuse this smorgasbord listing of odd examples, but I’m trying to illustrate that traditions have changed or are changing, and are changing more rapidly than we sometimes realize.
Why? Because of growth and development, individually and collectively, we are always encountering new challenges, ideas, experiences, and understandings. To be alive involves change, non-stop until the end of our lives.
We no long believe that the earth is flat, that we live in the center of the universe. We no longer believe in many gods, and for many, in any god. Our notions of right and wrong, virtue and sin, evolve with the course of history and our individual lives. Our capacity for rapid exchange of information and communication is phenomenal—and often misleading.
Sometimes, it’s because we can’t keep up, because we can’t process so much so fast, that we fall back on and cling to “traditions”.
Our heritages are our legacies not our laws, our gifts not our obligations, our memories not our futures.
Respect traditions, surely, but also live!
19 September 2021