Will Tradition Remain Intact Given the Freedoms of the Modern World?

I think a society without freedom is less rewarding to the adult population. We need to feel free to be modern contemporary adults.

But we need to be well rounded too. We need to balance our desire for freedom with a civil attitude and participation with things like religion, family, tradition, and work.

When I see countries like China, North Korea, and the Russian Federation in the news they are often portrayed as villains for being aligned against the U.S. I think they are so aligned because they feel our trajectory as a society is out of hand.

I want to preserve my freedom. I don't operate to full potential without freedom. But I want to embrace a philosophy that involves the traditions of my mother and father, or actually in my case that involves something converse to their literal tradition since I've adopted a new faith, but that is neither here nor there and doesn't directly relate.

Will tradition remain intact with the freedoms of modern America like sociological premises on gender, identity, orientation, or spiritual openness?

 

If they cannot adapt to change, which increases daily, then they should be put aside. Some rituals could be adopted with changes, just as Christianity stole the rituals of other religions and pagans in particular.

 

The thread question is really more a matter of personal policy than it is any kind of governing. I put it here though with hopes to for lack of better terms spread the word or raise awareness.

I feel like it's a person's own choice whether they take freedom to extremes that perhaps do not convey appreciation for what I am calling tradition, or that when increased by common attitudes in pop culture do not consider the effect on society and the way we understand ourselves, the way we actualize as adults, the way we transcend life obstacles, and our adult relationships.

And I think what I mean by tradition is religion, conservatism in our actions, measured reason in our behaviors, and all the wisdom and gumption of our aging population; not only to take into account their understanding, their needs, their preferences, and their upbringing into our decision process or into our behavior processes (in terms of what we view as wrong and right, or how we condition ourselves), but to uphold those views and embrace them to the extent realistic as our own; both to honor them, and to treat ourselves to the banquet of time. These things provide a beautiful tapestry for our cumulative wisdom to create something new and wonderful based on inclusiveness of our traditions, our elders, and our religions, and celebrate life according to our heritage and our origins along with our scholarship and our education.

The problems I encounter when I read articles about our youth, for example homelessness, or substance abuse, or simple literacy, I always return to the same factoids: priorities to career bound forethought, to prioritize family, to prioritize organized religion for one's own self or if not more simply just spirituality, to prioritize outcome with coworkers, outcome financially, and ultimately to foster love by bolstering the things that will for lack of a better term fuel it.

I think about communism a lot as I hope for state programs to provide for a practical application of funded programs like a Medicare-for-all scenario, or a progressive tax platform that would enable dual parent maternity/paternity leave, which is totally relevant and honestly important to undertaking a modern approach to the way mothers and fathers understand their role and their responsibilities, and a platform that would include different amenities that improve quality of life; if it's free lunch, if it's a parking discount for military and veterans, or a temporary gym membership for anyone who can't afford one, or a rent subsidy, or an augmented calculus of living wage.

The fear of the term is very real in the very same aging population. We have a different understanding of what that means. In modern times, state funded programs are usually referred to instead as socialism if only to be politically correct. And there are dozens of countries with primarily state financed social programs that rely on taxation or other funding, which in some cases are independent and in others democratic or often both; a feature I believe contributes to social wellness but does not detract from practical governance. I think there are problems in some countries that have embraced communist governance that have less to do with state finance and more to do with coincidental (and awful) corruption. But they are beautiful places; places like Chechnya, or China, the Great Wall, and its Forbidden City, or even North Korea where the struggle is very real and the anger too; in some cases with our country (I live in the United States), but the culture is as incredibly impressive and as visually mesmerizing as it is amazing.

It is intrinsically important that we endeavor to understand the sovereignty of our historic traditions. I think that is what is lost in our unapologetic march toward unbalanced freedom.

 

Right now, the world is waking up to a Middle East who are not happy with social direction of society in the global economy. And Afghanistan needs us... This thread can mention that.

We owe them. Why? you may wonder. I think for their fortitude in devout faith. To many Americans such a stringent sharia following of Islam is not only incongruent with our personality but is perhaps leaning toward something we'd categorize as other than faith; I even recently caught myself exclaiming "That is not psychologically the same thing!" in reference to something I thought was an extreme interpretation or application in my personal societal sphere of Islam.

They have asked their women to step away from education. Why? I think I know.....

A lot of things are in conflict with the more conservative Muslim populations in the world. There is a lot that is by default at least half-indoctrinated by "learning", or that what we see in text is in such contrast with our fundamental beliefs that it disavows them.

In many instances this is evident in American families here too (I'm actually not here right now, but anyway.....), and our sons and daughters visit from Yale and explain critical race theory and gender dynamics for the modern workplace.

We never bother to reconcile that with our religion! Well, not everyone has a religion. And there are a lot of people identifying as this or that who are very excited and enthusiastic about the new line on the psychology of sexuality (is that even a priority?? pfffft! ) or the sociology of this, that, and the other thing.

My point is about that reconciliation. Afghanistan has a point. And when the lesson on sex (sex ed. and also the one in college) is given, we can pause for a moment of silence in Afghanistan! Why? Because our beliefs would inform us that many have lost their way. At least!

What I think needs to happen there is for a new way of teaching to take front and center. The professor, accomplished, informed, wise, and studious, can stop with us to acknowledge the discrepancy (since what is in the most recent textbook is not what is in the Quran) and to stop. In Afghanistan we can stop then. We'll acknowledge that we understand how the psychology of a given perspective works and even without condemning it in our hearts. But we can see also what is said by our holy book.



We can see both and then girls can go back to school. Something like that.

Because without that, no. Tradition will not remain intact and what we'll see is our enthusiasm for being on board with the new psychology will dismiss our priority to be faithful and follow our spirit and our spirituality and our belief in Allah. And to Afghans that is the most relevant priority. Someone should tell them that we'll fix it.

 

These are cemeteries


How do we remember the dead? Do we ever take the time? I remember.

What becomes of their memory?

To see a cemetery reminds me of that. It reminds me of their contribution, the world they knew.

And it feels like a really clear awareness of a responsibility to preserve that past. They were more than strong.

It feels like we will lose that in the next five seconds if we don't deliberately save it while we can!

 

I think what I'm trying to say is in summary, we'll lose something immeasurable to have something instead of life; instead of what we have had as a world for eons, since before the beginning of anything.

We'll open our minds to a new tomorrow and one day open the blinds and see nothing that resembles anything we knew before. That began with my generation; we gained the information superhighway.

Well? I surrender. I believe we should take warning and be aware of the loss we're about to incur if we don't own up and decide to represent what our forefathers, our grandfathers, and our memories would have us preserve.

My world is also your world. What do we evoke? What do we emulate? I think we emulate as an example what we can glean from our humble origins; even if only as much or as little as we can, and to remember!

It's a good time now to save what little of the past we still have.

 

I have always greatly admired the Asian tradition of treating their elders with respect and up to three generations living together or locally

However their have been cases where this went seriously wrong in today's society
The worst was when older generation airline pilots developed bad habits and their younger first officers were afraid to speak up. This culminated when this resulted in a crash killing more than 200 people. The enquiry unearthed that over the last three decades more than 1,000 people died in similar circumstances.

I have worked with older Asian people and because I explain my reasoning an do not try to be the big boss, I have never had a problem. Older people, sometimes after a few reservations are still keen to learn.

I think that this i the key to retaining traditions, while bringing them in line with today's society. The younger generation do not have to reinvent the wheel.

 

Why did you close the poll.?
This is one of those thought provoking subjects that could continue the thread over a number of years.
As you can imagine from my reply, my response would be 3. But 4 would also reinforce this.

 

The poll closes after a predetermined amount of time or if no one responds. Thank you!
To say 'respect for elders' is to understand what lies at the root of our dilemma.

If I simply read that, 'respect for elders' I might dismiss it or feel like it is already second nature or even redundant since perhaps it is or should be common knowledge.

But if instead I internalize it, if I then find it relevant and very pertinent to my life and to this topic (tradition vs. new freedoms), I begin to live it and exhibit it when I see an old woman struggling to walk with her cane, or an elderly gentleman in the sun without an umbrella, or a thirsty person standing in the heat without water, I can endeavor to be of use.

That is what we all need to see! Precisely!

 

I'm wrong. I am able to fix the 'closed' poll. It's now no longer closed. I had set it to close after a week or something.