Traditions have an important role in our lives. Some good. Some bad. Right now they are a big source of conflict. To break from tradition is to many sacrilegious. To the extreme it can get you a one way trip out of your family, church or even country. 

Traditions have taken a central role in our history. Things are passed on. Religion goes way back whether you are a Christian, Jew or Islamist. Rules were made and rituals put in place to reinforce those beliefs. We are a country of laws. 

Families have traditions. We do holidays or vacations or even Sunday dinner a certain way. Many times we have to travel far and wide to get there. In today’s world kids live in different parts of a state or country. But you have to  be there. 

Certain parts of the country have different ways of doing things. New York..in your face. South..hospitality. Southwest…pickups and cowboy boots. West coast…who knows? Other countries are warm, cold, friendly or standoffish as a national personality.

 

Here in Flalaland, where you live can define you. Are you a boater or golfer or both? Are you welcoming or snooty? Clubs have their rules both written or unspoken. We have a dress code that is laid out. We have an unspoken manner  that rejects people talking about their previous accomplishments. Come as you are. Others demand a curriculum vitae before golf or dinner. To each his own but it does influence how you act and even think. 

POAs are predominant to keep things relatively sane. I really would have a problem if my next door neighbor decided to paint their house a bright pink or neon yellow. There is an order and agreement. In a very real way it presents system of belonging. We all think alike. It is just fine the way it is. 

Enter the outsider or renegade so to speak. That rule is stupid. We no longer need to have 10,000 Christmas lights strewn at our entryways. Or then again maybe we need more.  Manger or creche prominently displayed? Are you kidding? One’s individuality or perseverance is put to the test. 

It seems to me our current world invites dissonance. AI, wealth, globalization (if it still exists) screams change and innovation. Thinking outside the box becomes more commonplace. Open borders have impacted social norms to the point nations are really questioning their effect on the populace. Muddy our culture? Are we still American? Is this how started 250 years ago?

To be steeped in the past is comforting to some but an anathema to others. It seems so out of date in a world that craves the latest of everything. Fashion, cars, housing, entertainment have been moving at warp speed. The old stuff is boring. Old equates with last year or even last week. 

I would hold out to you that we have  traditions as a country that are manyfold. We have been a country of workers and achievers. Innovators? Look at so many things from science to medicine. We have been religious. Look at small towns throughout America and invariably you will see church spires here and there. 

To go on there has always been a clinic or medical center of some sort. A volunteer fire department. A Fourth of July  or Memorial Day parade. Football, basketball or baseball games. I think most of that is still there but mission creep seems to be saying we really don’t need that anymore. If you pay $1mill for your house do you really want to hang out at the local firehouse after fire practice on Tuesday night?

As exemplified by Spacex, there are a lot of people getting wealthier by the day. I guess I should say not a lot but a few. Perhaps the chosen few. That is not so much derogatory but a fact of life. Wage gaps are real and many think that is the way things are. Maybe a new tradition. 

I think when there are quite a few wealthy ones we tend to think that we really don’t need other people or if we do they are to do our bidding. Why do I need to hang out with the hoi poloi? Small town or mundane are boring. 

Today our traditions or new feelings are probably what you might call our personality. We are a vicious lot. Not only cage fighting but mud slinging. We shoot from road rage or just because you looked at me the wrong way. Then of course we have to right that wrong by shooting back. 450 million guns say kill or be killed. We now have security at those Little League games. 

Morality? That is such a dated and Victorian concept. Let the good times roll. What goes on wherever stays there. A concert with crotch rocks or twerking is just a new expression of art. Why the hell else would I pay $2,000 to see it in person? It is the chance of a lifetime. 

Traditions change and they should. I am not opting for marching in place or cutting off science and technology. I guess I am just wondering if I am adding to that change or just being sucked up in the vortex of things I just don’t understand.

I worry about the warp speed we are hurtling at with AI, moon colonization and drugs to keep us living forever. I worry that we cannot spend a single moment looking around at what we have. Really deciding the best way forward. 

I am sure many of you think that I am naive and you are probably right. You can do that when you are 81. Or maybe, just maybe we can create a new tradition that takes all the good parts from the old ones. Not just throwing everything out indiscriminately.  They say I am a dreamer. I just hope not the only one. 

As always

Ted The Great 

Factoids:

TTG has been working on a small book for the last few months. It is titled, “Hospice Is Not A Dirty Word.” It is combination of telling the story of hospice and its incredible outcomes as well as some memories of being a patient volunteer for over 18 years. I guess that is my innovation so to speak for this crazy world. Coming soon to a book store near you. Ha!

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