What a great concept! As Tevye said in the opening of Fiddler on the Roof:
And how do we keep our balance? I can tell you in one word: TRADITION.
If I take the time to consider our traditions especially triggered by this holiday season, the words of the Papa ring true. I must be careful, however, not to confuse routine with tradition. A routine may be brushing your teeth at the same time each morning, hardly a tradition. At my son’s wedding, a Jewish tradition was observed. He crushed a glass wrapped in a napkin with his heel. This tradition goes back hundreds of years, and its meaning seems to have changed several times. Regardless, the celebrant astutely and humorously told the attendees that this probably would be the last time that Josh would be putting his foot down in this marriage.
Tradition can be defined as the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.
Two elements are important from this definition: (1) the transmission and (2) generation to generation. Tevye continues to say that in his village they have traditions for everything which have been in place for many years. Things are done because that is the way things have always been done. When he asks himself the question as to why this or that is just so, he answers sheepishly, “I don’t know.”
Tradition: what a terrible concept! Did you notice my adverb choice in the above sentence: “sheepishly”? Traditions can blind a person. We all have heard of a business situation or educational setting someone using the crutch phrase “because we have always done it this way” when challenged about a procedure. Obviously, some traditions have changed, and some must change. We have all heard about hazing as a part of joining a team or fraternity. Thankfully, this mean-spirited tradition is going away despite the pleas by some that this is a rite of passage.
But all in all, the balance that traditions bring to our lives is calming, fun, and connects us to the past. I like the routine of our annual calendar knowing when celebrations will occur from fireworks on July 4th to turkey on Thanksgiving.
