Traditions.. think about it..
It is interesting how we tend to follow certain traditions and act blindly without questioning them even. Although I am sure if one sits down and recalls why one does certain things, it would be difficult to find reasonable causes.
It is understandable that we try to preserve cultures by handing them down from one generation to the next and inheriting them. It is somehow the need for cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions.
But in preservation of certain traditions of the past without questioning our selves, we actually retard our own growth and development. Instead of holding on to meaningless traditions that keep us stuck in the past we should actually dig in to them deeper and ask why? and find out if certain traditions are actually in use for us today or not! If not then I would say bye bye and good riddance! Although for some I am sure we can acknowledge that this past paved the way for today and we are here to continue the task of progress and pave the way for the next generation and make them understand that what we hand them are values to keep and use in their own journey..
One of the traditions that comes to mind is preserving the head dress that men wear here in Saudi Arabia for instance the *GUTRA/shmagh* (that is just an example, I really don’t have anything against them. I actually think they make some men look better since gutras/shmagh hide their baldness)
It is believed that gutra (piece of cloth that covers the head) was used long ago by men to shield their faces and eyes from the dessert sand and strong sun BUT each culture wears a different color or has it on in a different way. Although it is said that colors were added to the shmagh by the British army to differentiate which tribe they were dealing with. I bet you most of the people wearing these red and white gutras/shmagh do not know that they were actually introduced by the British in the first place!
I will leave you with a story I read in one of Paulo Coelho’s books that really rang a bell!
A great zen master in charge of a monastery owned a cat he adored and kept with him. The monk would give meditation classes while the cat sat next to him. Where ever he went, what ever he did, the cat was there.. That Zen master passed away and the cat still attended meditation classes. After a while, the cat passed a way too but the student of that zen master got so used to a cat being around the monastery that he decided to get one to sit in his meditation classes while he taught. Cats became part of Zen buddhism in that area.
A whole generation passed, a cat always attended Zen Buddhist classes.. Books were written on how presence of cats were important for better meditation.
Cats were part of Zen meditation until one day a wise Zen master was allergic to cats and decided to have classes without a cat around! Buddhists were alarmed but because of his known wisdom, many students still attended with him..
Later they found out that the presence or absence of a cat did nothing to their meditation classes. Only after that little incidence, the school of thought of Zen Buddhist meditation WITHOUT a cat was established!
It took them over a hundred years to realize that a cat had no effect what so ever on their meditations!
I wonder how many traditions we acquired and still practice today that have no actual relevance and was initiated due to mere coincidences? think about it..
Join the Conversation
Rasha,
This is very well said. Resistance to change is human nature. However, what irritates me the most is when people mistake holding on to traditions as preservation of their identity.
Rgds,
Rasha, there are traditions, and there are traditions. Traditions can be an essential aspect of cultural identity. They can bring people pleasure, and can teach lessons as well. They can root us in the past, even as they enlighten us for the future.
But as you suggest, certain traditions can hold us back as well. They can limit our scope of understanding, and can cause us to act in ways that are contrary to our modern sensibilities. Honor killing would be in this category.
The trick is, as with all aspects of human life, to be able to differentiate the good from the bad. We can get rid of what is bad in our lives, even as we hold on to what is good. I am not against religion, or the traditions which are an integral part of it. I am against those traditions which run counter to the basic teachings of all religions, and which keep us stuck in out-dated thinking.
To make things fair, God blessed us with Common Sense. There are many rules that are a part of religious belief. But to my mind, the first of God’s commandments is to use our Common Sense. If something makes sense, then believe in it, and uphold the traditions that are a part of it. If something doesn’t make sense, then let it go, and move on. God, the sum total of all the creative energy in the universe, would be proud to see that you have realized your potential to separate what is good, from what is bad, and to choose wisely what is worth holding on to.
Rasha:
Lets suppose that there is a tradition which is of no certain ‘practical’ use today, yet it does no harm to our cause as intellectuals, i.e. our common sense does not rule it out (as Nissim would argue). Do we have to set it aside?
Though some of the traditions, such as honor killing, are against the very essence of reason, some others have been of some use in the old times and nowadays play a symbolic role. For example, Iranians usually sprinkle a cup of water behind the pilgrim or the beloved one who is about to leave the city. The roots of this tradition back to the ancient Iran, when Persians used to worship several goddesses, one of which was Mitra, the goddess of Water; and this ‘water’ would be to request Mitra to support and protect the passenger. Yet, over centuries, several other features were added to this tradition: we put some flowers in the cup, as a symbol of nature and freshness; we put a mirror by the cup of water, in which the passenger would look and is a symbol of meditation; and else.
Such symbols play two important roles: first, to remember us of the past; Second, to differentiate our culture from that of others.
With regards to the second role, I’m not about to put a positive value on what we do or what we are as Iranians… I’m just saying that in the age of Globalization, keeping such symbolic traditions shields us against cultural globalization, which often translates into aggressive Americanization that is aimed at eliminating cultural diversity, whether deliberately or not.
By the way, I would agree with your main idea that one should investigate these traditions so as to ensure that they are not a barrier to the way of progress. I just wanted to emphasize on the role of neutral traditions.
Mohammad, I agree with you wholeheartedly. The tradition of sprinkling water behind the pilgrim is a good tradition. It does not matter that it relates back to ideas that are no longer in vogue. What is important is that this tradition creates meaning with regard to our fellow travelers, and that is a good thing.
Some people say that life is inherently meaningful, and others say that life has no meaning. I say that life has the potential for meaning, and that it is up to realize that potential. In effect, we can create meaning in our lives, or we can render the possibility of meaning null and void. Certain traditions, like the one you speak of, makes it easier to bring meaning into our lives, almost as a pathway toward spiritual enlightenment. Keeping Kosher for Jews, or Halal for Muslims, is in this category.
I also agree with you that traditions help keep alive our cultural identities. It is true that in a globalized world our cultural identities tend to be cast aside. We used to travel to other countries and see all sorts of unique cultural images. Nowadays we look around and all we see are the signs and symbols of multinational companies like McDonalds and the like. Our cultural identities are being merged into the culture of international business. Business creates its own ideological imperative, and that is often not enough to sustain meaning in our lives.
So I would hold on to traditions, and on to our cultural identities. But every once in a while I would trim off the bad stuff, the stuff that makes no sense, and that keeps us trapped in a meaningless void.
All cultures and peoples have traditions that go against reason; but there are also traditions who don’t go against reason and make part of our identity.
Nissim Dahan said
If sense was so common, why do all people not have it?
Mohammad Memarian said
Absolutely agree with you. When traditions do not harm anyone, they can add symbolic and practical beauty. For instance when they get married in western countries, Chinese women always change from their bridal gown into colorful changsoms. There is no practical reason for this, it is simply tradition. These types of clothes are very pretty. This is just one example. The rampant americanization that you quote should be resisted, otherwise the world will become just the same all over. I do not want to go to Lebanon to eat Macdonalds, and in fact I think that anyone who would is foolish, considering the traditional cuisine available there. Personally I think that we all should resist this “becoming the same” and cling to traditions that help to establish and maintain our identities as people.
I agree with most of what is mentioned. I have no problem with traditions that do not go against reason. But many traditions practiced in my country and in many other areas of the world really effect negatively our growth and development as a society.
I will give you few true examples of the traditions I mean..
Tribalism, which has nothing to do with religion and is purely traditions. It causes so much harm than good, it causes prejudices between families and tribes, it controls who marries who and from what tribe, it even affects who gets accepted in a work position. Not only that but tribalism is so much rooted in such societies that forcefully divorcing a married couple against their will had become a norm!
Women oppression, controlling of women in general and treating them as minors and as secondary citizens are part of some traditions.
A small example that we take for granted in our daily lives in a traditional simple home, it is normal for instance for men to have dinner and eat and once they are full and done with their feast.. the women go to the same messy dining area and eat the left overs.. believe me.. I’ve been there.. Many times I would rather go home hungry!
I used the simple example in my post just so as not to be too aggressive but I believe that we should understand why we accept and apply in our daily lives certain traditions and discard what ever harms us as individuals or society..
Rasha, you can speak about things from personal experience; things that we can only imagine.
I agree with you that there are aspects of tribalism that can keep us down. You mention one aspect, with regard to the demeaning of women. I don’t think it was the Prophet Muhammad’s intent to demean women. He married a woman 15 years older then he, who was independently wealthy, and who ran a bunch of thriving businesses. I think that Muhammad’s intent, as evidenced by his example and his teachings, was for men to partner with their wives, not to demean them. And in fact, one of Muhammad’s daughters became a noted theologian of the new religion.
When Muhammad died, the tribalism of the day took over, and some of the Prophet’s teachings in this regard were thrown by the wayside. And subsequently, tribal culture became rooted in religious belief.
You are right to point to the treatment of women in particular. Women have a natural disposition toward peace. As the natural givers of life, and as the natural caretakers of life, they are uniquely qualified to reconstitute their societies consistent with a vision of hope. If you stifle women, you stifle the chance for a brighter day. So you are right to point to the treatment of women, and to think that refom in this area, could be vital to a positive transformation of the region.
And Edwin, almost everyone on earth has Common Sense. Common Sense is the collective wisdon born of shared experience. Common Sense is the intuitive wisdom to conform our thoughts and actions to universally shared truths and values. We all have Common Sense. But, as you suggest, it is tempting at times to ignore our Common Sense, and to think and act as we wish.
If you want to get a feel for Common Sense, just think of a newborn baby. What does she need to survive? Nourishment, a roof over her head, someone to care for her needs, and a whole lot of love. Do we every outgrow that, Edwin?
God made things fair, at least to some extent. He blessed us with Common Sense, or the potential to see things clearly. It is up to us to realize that potential. If we do, we will come to enjoy the bounty of life. If we don’t, we will come to know the misery of death, destruction, and despair. The choice is ours. It always has been, and everything we know and love hangs in the balance.
Nisim Dahan Nourishment, a roof, care are not common sense, they are common requirements. Common Sense refers to processes that happen in the mind, and while I believe that we are created with the capacity for reason, many people do not do things that are sensible, nor do they believe in things that when measured by reason, appear to be sensible. It would be nice if there was a collective wisdom, but many people choose to believe in and act in accordance with superstition, preconceived notions and partial information. Some traditions perpetuate superstition, and there is absolutely no argument one can make to people who have been conditioned to believe superstitions, that will change their minds. At a certain time in peoples lives they have lived by superstition or traditional beliefs for so long that it has become a part of how they measure and look at the world and they become impervious to reason. They will even go as far as becoming violent to protect their superstitious belief system or traditions. I agree with everything you say about women, and there have been attempts by some societies to alter their traditions to include the feminine point of view. Take for example the Ba’hai, they have a fairly sensible attitude to the feminine, but they have been persecuted, quite violently because their belief system goes against the accepted superstitions of the country it originated in.
Rasha, in Cameroon the women always eat first. I was very embarrassed once, when I was invited to the Cameroon embassy for a party, and went in to eat with the women, because no one told me LOL
But as Nisim Dahan pointed out, you have personal experience of certain very damaging traditions, that do nothing to benefit mankind, which I also do not have. I do not live in a tribal society. There is very likely a power structure involved in those traditions that will fight tooth and nail to maintain itself. When someone derives power from keeping things the way they are, there is not a lot one individual can do about it.
Rasha,
Check out ‘Cargo rites’ that is similar with that Coelho’s story as an example in our world; And check out Richard Dawkins’ concept of ‘meme’ to figure out why we inherit cultural and religous concepts over the time, their evolve and inheritance in societies!
I believe that religions are wholly some traditions that should washed away! Because as you are trying to ask why, you figure out that all you practice are ridiculous! you should never ask why in religions, but you should practice with no question! Thats the power of traditions and also religions that make them survive till these days!
Edwin, you make some very excellent points, and in fact, I am in the process of writing a post about one of them. Keep on the lookout.
When you say that the basic requirements of life are not a matter of common sense, I would respectfully disagree. Common sense, or the collective wisdom born of shared exprience, does pertain to what we, as a species, need to survive, and to survive well. I used the birth of a baby as an example, because a baby is most vulnerable, and brings into play the collective wisdom of all sorts of people, in an effort to ensure continued survival. And if we project forward from there; we will need to use our common sense to ensure not only the survival of our babies, but the survival of our species as a whole.
You speak about superstition, and about the behavior of people which defies reason. Well, I would qualify that somewhat. Reason, as you rightly suggest, should underpin much of our behavior. But reason has considerable flexibility and eslaticity to it. Reason could easily be used to take in notions of superstition, religious belief, and the like.
Take for example the Middle Eastern notion of belief in the “evil eye.” People believe that if you show off too much, others could become jealous, and put a curse on you, in the form of the evil eye. Well, you and I could call that superstitious and perhaps unreasonable. But if this belief keeps you from showing off excessively then perhaps there is some reasonable benefit to it.
Edwin, you are certainly right to say that a great many people have a great way to go in using reason as the basis of their thoughts and actions. Many peeople around the world are anything but reasonable. However, isn’t that the challenge we face? And isn’t that the essence of what we need, to make this world a better place?
We begin by recognizing that reason, and common sense, do in fact exist, or at least have the potential to exist. We then proceed to sell people on these notions. In effect, we elevate notions of common sense to ideological status. We begin to believe in what makes sense. And to the extent that we are persuasive, and that we get as many people on board as possible, then to that extent we begin to marginalize the extremists in the eyes of their own people.
Is it possible to get people around the world to buy into notions of common sense? I think it is. First, because almost everyone on earth already buys into at least some of these notions, whether they admit it or not. And second, because the world is beginning to come together economically, and technologically. More and more people are depending on one another for survival. In such a world, there will be no choice but to let go of some of the superstitions, and unreasonable behaviors that you speak of, in favor of an ideological framework that allows people to make money together, to live in peace, to live well, and to bring about a sustainable environment.
In other words, Edwin, the potential for an ideology of common sense is there, waiting in the wings, and in the final analysis, we have brought ourselves to the point in human development where we have no alternative but to begin the painful process of realizing that potential.