Traditions

grizzly

I was thinking of traditions and cultural identity and how countries and regions find them so worthwhile and important. Tourists enjoy learning about different ones and they are generally seen as a positive influence in life. I'm not just speaking about an Irish perspective, but from a worldwide one. They give people a sense of security and community, but I wonder if they ultimately hold us back.

Are they a barrier to social integration; insuring people stay in their own cliques. Do they hinder progress? The amount of time that goes into upkeeping some of them is considerable. Should we be letting go of them or are they worth holding on to?

nyarlothothep

Personally I don't recognize them as being important and also sometimes find them perplexing to an extent. However, people are free to have their traditions, the major problem arises when certain people "feel" its their right to impose their traditions on other people, or that those who don't conform to them are somehow lesser beings. Traditions can be important to the individual, if they want to place significance on them, but they shouldn't expect others to think likewise.