Letting Go of Certain Traditions

What differentiates the many diverse cultures in this world?  It is to a large degree the traditions that have been developed in those cultures.  I remember one definition of culture, which I heard in a seminar: “Culture is the sum of the things which we take for granted”, which are basically the traditions we keep and do not question.  

Traditions certainly have their place in every culture.  They can provide a source of continuity, stability, sense of identity and belonging. 

Having had the opportunity to travel extensively and working with people from all over the world I got to know many different cultures and their traditions.  This has made me look at various traditions I grew up with from a different perspective.  And when I immigrated to the United States together with my wife, who is from Canada, I saw traditions that I liked and which made sense to me, while others did not make much sense at all.

One of the American traditions I really like is Thanksgiving.  I find that to be a great idea, as gratitude and giving thanks are very meaningful.  To be grateful is a universally recognized value in most cultures around the globe.  Gratitude goes hand in hand with humility and is a wonderful characteristic to have; it serves us well in our relationship with our Creator as well as our fellow man.

However, a tradition I do not care for at all is Halloween.  When you grow up with it, had some fun childhood memories related to it, I can see why some people may like that tradition.  But coming from another culture, where that was never practiced, I simply cannot find any humor in spooky pictures of skeletons, ghosts, scaring people and the like.  I see no point in traditions which promote ugliness and scaring people and making fun of death. Also, I do not see the point in sending children around the neighborhood basically begging for sweets with an attitude of entitlement that the world owes them something.  It can also be dangerous as we hear in the news about candy with razor blades in them. 

So, while there are traditions which have real value, just the fact that something is a tradition does not necessarily mean it has value. 

As with everything we do in life, it helps to evaluate the value and the meaning of a tradition.  Does it promote values such as brotherly love, respect, honor, humility, gratitude, service? Then it can make sense to keep such a tradition!

But a tradition that has become a burden to you and others, consider letting go of that tradition, like traditions that create too much stress, such as shopping frenzies around Christmas. Let go of a tradition that may require huge amounts of resources, such as very elaborate wedding feasts, whose expense is out of proportion to what we have . Let go of traditions which do not promote positive values, such as love and respect, but promotes a prideful “us and them” mindset.

You will find it liberating when you can let go of traditions, which only cause stress.  Is your identity tied to some manmade and “doesn’t make sense” traditions? Or is your identity the fact that you are a child of God, who strives to promote peace between people, to serve other people, to treat them with respect and love, to be forgiving and not holding grudges, to be filled with humility instead of pride.

For example:  Why do members of different denominations in Northern Ireland insist on traditions causing provocations often ending in violence?  Should not values that are dear to all Christians, such as peace, forgiveness, mercy, patience, longsuffering etc. be more important?

When looking at religious traditions, I am thinking of what Jesus Christ said about them:

[ Matt 18:3 NKJV] "….Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?”

For me, a very important criteria for either embracing or rejecting a tradition is what God thinks about it.  Jesus Christ was not pleased with certain traditions that were kept during His time.

[Mark 7:7-9 NKJV] “ And in vain they worship Me, Teaching [as] doctrines the commandments of men.' 8 "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." 9 He said to them, "[All too] well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.”

Traditions are often followed just to fit in, even when people do not like them.  We need to ask ourselves: is fitting in more important than doing what is right? Let not yourself be caged by peer pressure to uphold traditions which prevent you from being free to fulfill your highest potential and making your greatest contribution while you are on this earth.

Our sense of stability, security and continuity should come from our close relationship with God and not from holding on to traditions.

Traditions have their place and can provide some structure.  But they must have a purpose and they must be subordinated to our highest values.

Questions to ask yourself:

·         Are there things that I do simply for tradition’s sake?

·         Do I feel obligated to follow certain traditions, even though they make no sense to me?

·         Are there traditions that may have served well in the past, but with changes in technology have become obsolete?

·         Are there religious traditions that I hold on to, which are more of a cultural thing then something that has to do with spiritual values? 

·         Do I put up with traditional practices which are harmful and senseless, such as some initiation rites? 

 © On Eagles Wings, LLC