This week I have had the chance to discuss and delve more in depth to the idea of traditions, rituals, and culture.
If you are anything like me and compare all of life’s circumstances to movies, then your mind probably went right to “Fiddler on the Roof.”
In the opening music number, the main character, Tevye, explains what tradition means to him. He explains the different traditions that he and others in the village practice.
In this scene he says, “You may ask how did this tradition get started, I will tell, I don’t know, but it is a tradition and because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”
I have always thought this line was interesting, but I think it carries a lot of truth.
Traditions are inherited behavior or beliefs that get passed down from generation to generation.
More often than not, just as Tevye came to realize, we are not sure where these traditions came from, only that we practice them.
Tradition and culture often get lumped into the same meaning, while culture is more often what we see.
Culture describes one’s attitudes, behaviors and patterns, attained as a member of society.
Families also practice traditions and have certain cultures. In fact, the question is not whether your family practices a certain culture, the question is whether you would like to perpetuate that culture.
Within my own family, I would say we have a culture that is sometimes praiseworthy, but at times is also destructive.
Each one of my siblings is blessed with an athletic ability, for the most part, this has benefited our family as a whole and individually. This has created a spirit of competition within my family, to the point where friendly card games turn into fighting for your honor.
This culture has enveloped us, it has become who we are, but it is not who we have to stay. While I love being competitive, I do think we can take it to an extreme.
This extreme has often left some in my family feeling inadequate and at times, worthless.
This topic ties into my last blog post.
While embracing the culture we were raised in can be healthy, we don’t have to be a slave to a culture that may have been detrimental.
This is not to suggest that all struggles within family life are meant to be avoided, they often lead to our development.
Culture can diminish our self-worth, along with that of others in our family.
What is wonderful about culture is that it can be altered; we can pass on traditions that we understand and cherish.