Tradition vs Individualism

[Breathe]

I don't want to ask an overly- broad question, especially when I realize the answer is somewhere in the middle. (ie. Is tradition at its core good or bad, a positive or negative thing for culture?) But what brought this to mind was watching a cooking documentary that profiled some adult children who had carried out their parents' cooking legacy. I started thinking about my own family and how if one of my parents hadn't broken the tradition, perhaps I would have been encouraged to keep the family business. I thought about how sad that can be, when traditions like this are broken. And yet, I completely understand the desire to be an individual and have my own goals.

So.. what am I asking: Do you think that as we veer away from tradition and more importantly, community-based thinking in the Western world that we give up an important part of ourselves? When looking at Eastern, Latin American or African countries, oftentimes such traditions are very much alive and well and their sense of community is strong.


For spiritual people, when we are taught to "die to ourselves" do you think this could be a small part of that calling and/or perhaps one reason that is so important?

[Agenda 2025]

My family farmed and grew its own food since the beginning of time.
Didn't start really using grocery stores until 25 years ago.
There's one tradition that could lead to extinction.
Food we buy is full of chemicals.

[L1qu1dator]

Traditions are retar... stupid.
Look at China for example, they still have the mindset that powdered rhino's horn will make their pp go up, because it's "traditional medicine".

[the vampire of time and memory]

this appears to be a broad question so forgive me if I am targeting the wrong angles of it

I personally think that the family that we create as individuals, is more important than the one we're born into

I would say that the preservation of family traditions and tight family bonds are not universally good things, they can be good if an individual chooses to value them, and they can be less important if they don't

I suppose what I mean to say is that in the end we are not extensions of our parents, but unique individuals, our upbringings have a large part in who we become, yet there is no foolproof method to raise a child into something you want them to be, therefore to thrust these sorts of things on them if they are not receptive to it is just foolish

in the first place, it is also just the nature of youth to yearn for individuality, so until we reach a certain age, the word "tradition" itself makes many young ones wince

[Pierce Dalton]

Traditions can be good or bad. A man that agrees with all of them is nothing but a slave.

[Acetyl]

Originally posted by L1qu1dator:

Traditions are retar... stupid.
Look at China for example, they still have the mindset that powdered rhino's horn will make their pp go up, because it's "traditional medicine".

Really lazy take, gotta tell ya. The follow through example was weak at best. Not compelling. Tradition and naturalness are heuristics. They're there because they work. What screws them up is social dynamics.

[Chaosolous]

I think that tradition is important but when it's used as a grip to control the individual, it goes too far.

[L1qu1dator]

Originally posted by Acetyl:

Originally posted by L1qu1dator:

Traditions are retar... stupid.
Look at China for example, they still have the mindset that powdered rhino's horn will make their pp go up, because it's "traditional medicine".

Really lazy take, gotta tell ya. The follow through example was weak at best. Not compelling. Tradition and naturalness are heuristics. They're there because they work. What screws them up is social dynamics.

They work in what? Keeping people in their outdated harmful beliefs? Preserving the tribalism?

[Breathe]

Originally posted by the vampire of time and memory:

this appears to be a broad question so forgive me if I am targeting the wrong angles of it

I personally think that the family that we create as individuals, is more important than the one we're born into

No worries, I'm thankful for the consideration. And I agree wholeheartedly.

Originally posted by the vampire of time and memory:

I would say that the preservation of family traditions and tight family bonds are not universally good things, they can be good if an individual chooses to value them, and they can be less important if they don't

Absolutely. They can even be harmful or based on ignorance.

Originally posted by the vampire of time and memory:

I suppose what I mean to say is that in the end we are not extensions of our parents, but unique individuals, our upbringings have a large part in who we become, yet there is no foolproof method to raise a child into something you want them to be, therefore to thrust these sorts of things on them if they are not receptive to it is just foolish

in the first place, it is also just the nature of youth to yearn for individuality, so until we reach a certain age, the word "tradition" itself makes many young ones wince

I definitely agree with that. I think when I was considering the example I used, while it is sad and while something is then lost to time perhaps its time had simply come. And there is no guarantee a resurgence of some kind wouldn't come to pass in the future anyway.

Having said that, I do think that when we focus too much on the individual in some cases, that can be a harmful thing. When things like greed and hatred, selfishness, all these negative things still exist maybe it's not best to praise individualism so much as community or its affect on the larger picture. Maybe that's not making too much sense, I might have to come back to this if I remember. :/

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

I think that tradition is important but when it's used as a grip to control the individual, it goes too far.

I like how you worded that.

[Falco]

Originally posted by Pierce Dalton:

Traditions can be good or bad. A man that agrees with all of them is nothing but a slave.

Originally posted by Chaosolous:

I think that tradition is important but when it's used as a grip to control the individual, it goes too far.

Agreed, follow traditions, but maintain your individualism

Originally posted by Breathe:

I don't want to ask an overly- broad question, especially when I realize the answer is somewhere in the middle.

The answer is in the middle as you predicted, but still a worthy post to make nonetheless.

[Blue Foot]

Originally posted by L1qu1dator:

Traditions are retar... stupid.
Look at China for example, they still have the mindset that powdered rhino's horn will make their pp go up, because it's "traditional medicine".

Most midwitted opinion I've ever seen

[Here is my card]

Oh, I could talk about this for long and in depth but I try to avoid those "essays" nowadays. (...and I have only a little energy left, so I think I'll call it a night soon)