Tradition

"Revised Spring 2008-Frederick"

The incorporation of tradition into one’s life brings about the closeness of family (#), community (#), and creates new friendships (#) when learning about traditions other then your own. Tradition encompasses pleasures (#) and activities that call for participation (#) from those engaging in the tradition. It is equally important to pass down the importance of tradition to the younger generations.
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People thrive on tradition. Without it there would be no government, unity, or awareness of the morals and values families passed down through the generations. There would be no sense of order.

Tradition is a widespread value that is celebrated in many different ways all around the world. Tradition is celebrated in a variety of ways from holidays and religious festivals to the purpose of the clothes we wear. Like in the Middle East, it is customary for the women to wear clothing that covers every inch of their bodies only allowing their eyes to be seen while in public. Traditionally, this is extremely different in the United States where we are able to where whatever we want, whenever we want. We do need to have a shirt and shoes on when we go into public establishments. Certain cases differ, such as, formal dinners and events where a dress code is required.

Without tradition, our ways of life would be drastically different. Morals would not be passed down to younger generations portraying how their particular culture views such things as marriage, the importance of education, and roles played in a family setting. We have a very traditional way in which our government is run and we vote to choose the people who represent our ideas and what we stand for. Without the United States tradition of Democracy, the availability to the freedoms and rights we have would be stripped away from us. That is why the tradition of voting is important to keep up on and participate in. Also, tradition is a beneficial way to bring communities together to participate in parades, festivals, concerts, and even attend events such as the state fair. We have a variety of these opportunities available to us in our community every year.

There are so many holidays and celebrations that take place in the course of a year that give families and friends the opportunity to be together and share each others traditions. In the United States we have Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and many other holidays that put emphasis on family and spending time together. Other religions celebrate in different ways especially during the christmas holiday. There are many ways in which this holiday is celebrated which is how the many different traditions get passed down and appreciated. Whether traditions are familial, religious or political, they are important to those who are already participating in them and for passing down to the next generation in hopes of keeping the tradition alive.

It seems that as time gets more limited and people’s lives get busier traditions are put on the back burner and people do not take the time to appreciate the importance of this value. Today there is such a major focus on our own well being which leaves us less time to care about how our selfishness affects the lives of others. Tradition takes time and the cooperation of groups as well as individuals to carry them on. Without those willing to give their help and support, there will be a significant decrease in the amount of tradition that will occur in the future. This pertains to the proper functioning of our government, personal family traditions, as well as the activities in which a community partakes in together.

Therefore,
The need to be proactive and ensure that tradition is kept alive can be accomplished by actively participating in community as well as intermediate family functions. Making ourselves more aware of what is happening around us and directing our focus towards being united will provide positive role models for the future generations. Traditions are dependant on people, on an individual basis as well as in groups.

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In order to keep tradition alive and continue to promote its importance we need cooperation (#). Spend time as family (#) and continue to educate (#) the younger generations. Teach others that bringing people together in a familial, community (#), or even at a national level will show others that to conserve (#) traditions is a productive goal to work towards.

Relative Rank: Although we did not get the chance to rank the values in order of importance I do think that tradition is in the top third of the list and should be considered by all people.

[[1. <www.flickr.com> is where I obtained the photo for this piece]] [[2. The drawing is from the Microsoft Paint program]] [[3. An interview with Karen Cook took place on the 23 November 2007]]

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