Jellric said:

My ancestors in this part of the country had a tradition of hanging black people from trees without a trial.

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Alan Stone said:

Why do something because it hasn't been thought of/done before? What's your point?

Why is the notion that one is unique so important? Is it really true?

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stzacrack said:

"Keep traditions only if they serve a purpose, and only if that purpose can't be served better by something else."
^I agree with this. Why would anyone want to follow traditions of their ancestors if the traditions don't have any purpose?

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Paradigm said:

What's the point?  Why do something just because it's always been done that way?  I understand the appeal of ritual, but why not just start your own rituals?  Do what works for you, not what tradition prescribes.  It's called progress.  Try it out some time.

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Were there any specific traditions you were thinking/speaking of....?   

eMotionALLmotion said:

Paradigm said:

What's the point? Why do something just because it's always been done that way? I understand the appeal of ritual, but why not just start your own rituals? Do what works for you, not what tradition prescribes. It's called progress. Try it out some time.

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Were there any specific traditions you were thinking/speaking of....?

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Frog said:

But isn't tradition just, plain and simple, nice???

Tradition gives us something to tie into. It gives meaning to life. Why should we give up tradition simply because there's no real value?

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Quote:

Why should we live life so clinically? "Only if {whatever} can be proven by Swami, may you engage in your activities."

So something should have actual clinical value before being entertained as a tradition? Should have some meaning besides the simple human relations aspect behind it?

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Quote:

This is sort of bothering me. I can understand that we don't want to continue to permit female genital mutilation simply because it has been tradition in that culture, but there are traditions that are benign that draw us closer to one another that shouldn't be extricated.

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Paradigm said:

Well, Frog's thread about diamonds is really what inspired this thread.  I think it's retarded to do something just because it's traditional.  Tradition as an end in itself is meaningless.
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Let's look at the issue of gay marriage, for instance.  There's a huge uproar about two men getting married, just because marriage has traditionally been limited to just men and women.  Unequal treatment under the law is being upheld simply because it's traditional to do so.  Not only that, but there is actually a movement to legislate that tradition into the Constitution 

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Well, the ring thing is important to some people, for some it is not a "thing"....    I could think of more creative ways to devote my life to someone as far as a "marraige" goes, besides a diamond....  I think the huge expensive marraige in a church with all of the dresses and everything so prin and proper is more of a "wasted" tradition(in my eyes)....    Some may find that to be what they want tho~....        I really liked the one att he AZ gathering, there is no way being in a church could have been more beautiful than where we were....   
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As for the taxes and laws about marraige, I think they suck....    The sanction of marraige should not make a difference in the eyes of taxes, nor the political laws....  "Everybody is equal"....    Doesn't matter who has "coupled up", they are still individual people.... 
1 + 1 = 1 + 1

Paradigm said:

Tradition doesn't give meaning to life. You do. Sure, traditions can be nice. I enjoy decorating a Christmas tree as much as the next person. But tradition should not be a reason unto itself. It was once traditional for black people to always address a white man as "sir" and not look him directly in the eye. But this tradition has been abandoned because it is racist.

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Quote:

If it enriches your life, that is a practical purpose. But this should be weighed against other pragmatic as well as moral factors.

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The_Walrus said:

now more than ever people crave the security and sense of wholeness and continuity that comes with embracing tradition for the sake of tradition

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JacquesCousteau said:

The_Walrus said:

now more than ever people crave the security and sense of wholeness and continuity that comes with embracing tradition for the sake of tradition

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Indeed... and it is that "necessity" that people have formed for security and continuity that keeps people from abandoning traditions despite their downfalls. (Gay marriage is a shining example) This, to me, is the real danger of tradition. Tradition in and of itself is meaningless and harmless... but when you mix in the stubborn human psyche, you've got something much worse: attachment.

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Glad someone gets it.

looner2 said:

What's the point? Why do something just because it's always been done that way? I understand the appeal of ritual, but why not just start your own rituals? Do what works for you, not what tradition prescribes. It's called progress. Try it out some time.

Ohhh geez. You killed me with "in the name of progress". What is progress anyway? Take for example marriage. Traditionally, it was a virtue for a woman/man to remain a virgin until marriage. This taught self-control and self-respect. Then, in the name of progress the feminists and liberals "liberated" sexuality. Now our society is filled with sluts getting married after fucking 50 men a year, and find marriage dull get a divorce, and leave the kids with all kinds of mental problems. STD's, AIDS, and abortions run rampant. Not only that, but the traditional view of abstaining from sex is viewed as abhorent and a weakness further propagating the problem.

This same story can be applied to a whole spectrum of thought, from individual freedom to economic policies.

Traditions keep what is right and working, safe from outside pressures of progress.

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