Old Traditions And New Worlds

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.

Pablo Picasso

Many of those who read my posts comment and compliment my support to the old traditions and old virtues of life. Some of those who don’t agree with me do so under the ideals that change is inevitable and that we must cast aside old traditions to give way to a better future. So…Who is right? Is the older generation’s support of time tested traditions better? Or is it the younger generation’s desire to bravely go into uncharted lands better?

If I am to be completely honest, I have to say both.

Life is the result of a constant evolution, redefinition, and reinvention. But this isn’t about change for change’s sake. It’s about understanding why things were done in a specific way and why they worked. Then, and only then, can we try to change them, or at least develop them into something more. Old isn’t always right and New isn’t always better.

Doing something in a specific way simply because “that’s the way it’s always done” is the worst reason imaginable to do it that way. We must always try to consider why it was done that way. And usually there is a very good reason behind it, and that’s why we keep doing the same thing over and over.

The older generation needs to understand that change has been a constant in life, and they don’t need to feel threatened by it. Things no longer useful should be discarded as they only serve to hold us back.

Changing something simply because “change is good” is also the worst reason why things might need change. Dismissing the old simply because it’s old is literally ignoring all our previous experience and knowledge before making a decision.  

The younger generation needs to understand that they are no more special than every single generation that came before them. Things that work shouldn’t be discarded, but rather improved upon. And we can only do this after we learn and understand them.

We need to understand traditions but we also need to understand the need to challenge them. Only when something has stood against being challenged can it be of any true value to you. There needs to be a balance between the old and the new within your life. Only when you appreciate what has come before you can you move on.