Tradition vs. Orthodoxy

[Chirs]

Would it help at all to differentiate between Tradition and tradition?

If we acknowledge that there are Traditions that are formal, widespread, deeply ingrained and mired in history - be they religious, national, military... it's a long list - we may all agree that there is a call (a demand?) for respect. These Traditions, after all, represent something that has enough importance to enough people to warrant them being enshrined. I believe, DWFll, this is what you are referring to. And I would agree. If we altered - let's just use an example - U.S. Independence Day, changing the date perhaps, this would be a violation of the Tradition and would show either a startling lack of respect or a total ignorance of the historical importance of the date. I doubt anyone would miss the point here: Traditions call for respect.

Now, let's consider what a tradition might be. In my estimation, a tradition would be any one of the thousands of customs (is that the right word for it?) which may have been handed down to us from the previous generations, or they may be customs that we ourselves have developed through the years. Some may be meaningful to many while others have meaning only to one. To continue our example above, it may well be a tradition, on the Fourth of July, to take a blanket down to the lake to watch fireworks. Or maybe go to the cabin for the weekend. Or have a family barbeque and watch Aunt Bessie yell at the kids.... Or, there may be a reason why your family cannot celebrate on that day - let's just say that your dad is a fireman and always has to work that day - so it would be the family tradition to celebrate the weekend before or after. The tradition may be connected to the Tradition but is, nonetheless, quite separate from it.

I would agree with you, DWFll, that "Traditions are important...perhaps critically important to what makes us human." In fact, I would go one step further and add that traditions are equally important, just less visible. There is very little about human life that cannot be connected to Tradition and/or tradition. This is, I believe, that which we call "culture." In the North American culture we celebrate the Traditions of Christmas and Easter, but not Losar or Holi; although all four are Traditions, not all are our traditions. And, I would point out, our traditions regarding how we mark these days do not undo the Traditions.

Whether or not what I have said can be seen as a reified truth, it does make a useful lens through which to consider the comments made in this - and other - threads. It becomes possible to discern Traditions, which call for respect and need not be re-defined, and traditions, which are personal and ever-evolving. But I do not think that we can go so far as to say that traditions are whimsical or mere fashion. While the traditions may well be meaningless to the wider population, they may still be felt as forcefully as Traditions to the one/s who practice/s it. To the degree that the custom has a history and is meaningful to the one/s who partake of it, I think we can call it a tradition. Should it happen that a large enough number of people share this tradition and imbue it with sufficient meaning, I think we can call that a Tradition.