Effects of Upholding the Traditions - Research Paper Example

al Affiliation: Traditions have been recognized as effective strategies by which the society can use to improve the life of the community. Consequently, many people are trying to uphold their traditions as a means to improve their community. However, there are challenges as to which traditions should be upheld, and which ones should be done away with. Societies that teach traditions to some extent are able to improve their lives by placing values to what was done in the past. The function of the study was to conclude the effects of traditions in the society. The study used the article on lottery to establish the effects of traditions in the society and also reviewed other literature to find out their views on the same. The event of the lottery is an annual event that consequently carries with its other elements with it. From the study, it was established that there are both positive and negative effects of upholding traditions. Some of the positive effects are; fostering socialization, enhancing unity, nurturing responsibilities, fostering harmony, passing on of traditional values and enhancing virtues in the society. Some of the negative effects include; acting blindly without questioning, can lead to conflict between the old generation and the new generations, can lead to evils and barbaric actions. The society should identify the positive traditions that lead to positive effects and uphold them. On the other hand, harmful traditions that lead to negative effects should be done away with. Introduction A tradition is a belief mostly manifested through behaviors. Such behaviors are portrayed by members of a group or even a society. These behaviors can be traced from a certain origin and hence given a meaning. This implies that the behaviors practiced are significant to that particular group or society and ,therefore, can be explained. This study will analyze the concept of tradition as depicted in the article “The lottery” (1948). It will specifically look at the effects of traditions in society. It will examine both the positive and negative aspects of traditions. Positive effects In the article the lottery, this event was a tradition that was carried and brought the members of the village together. Traditions can foster socialization as it can bring people together. The event was carried out annually and it was well known, expected and accepted by all the villagers. From the article lottery, everybody was expected to turn up for the event. Children were there, playing and sharing their stories about schools. They had just taken a break and had memorable experiences to share with each other. The men also came and were touched by how their children were interacting with each other. They also joined in talks about the current activities hence getting an opportunity to interact with each other. The crowd would not be valid without the women who joined the children and their men and also socialized. According to Ross (2009), socialization is fostered by coming together and developing a feeling of association especially with people with the same background. Traditions can enhance unity in the society. From the lottery article, this unity is seen when there is concern shown for those who had not arrived for the event; others were late while others did not show up for one reason, or another. Still those who did not show up had people representing them in whatever role they were to play in the event. There was concern that they should represent them and eventually someone would volunteer or be appointed. Hence they kind of participated even when they were not physically present. Unity brings people together regardless of what they are experiencing. Even death fosters unity in the community, when they come together in accordance with the traditions (Smith & Tribur, 2005). Given that the lottery was part and parcel of the village’s annual event, the procedures were well known by the villagers and followed to the later. This shows that traditions can nature a sense of responsibility in people. They get to know their duties and carry them out without waiting to be pushed by others. Responsible people in the society carry out their duties with ease. In the article lottery, even the children knew their role and the moment they came for the event they did what expected. Traditions foster harmony in the society. Harmony means that there is a peaceful existence among the members of the society. In the lottery article, harmony was exhibited when all the members of the village who attended the event mixed freely with others, interacting freely and generally having a good time together. This implies that there is agreement among the people living together, meaning that people are able to seek out their differences the moment such differences arise. Such differences can be sought out in an amicable manner. Read (2007) asserts that the harmony is as a result of accepting the set norms. Traditions can help in passing on of values. Since they are passed down from one generation to another, the values of the societies can be maintained and upheld. Traditional values play an significant responsibility in the community because they are the fabric of the society. In the lottery article, the villagers showed that they were together for a common purpose. Traditional values can go a long way in building a structure of a given community or society. This can enable a given society to have a solid foundation of how the community ought to live. Brainbati and Spengler (2007), hold that value can be used for development if only they are well understood. Traditions help in adapting to suit the needs of the day. Given that it is a repeated behavior among a group or society with significance attached to it, it enhances cultivating and maintaining virtues in the society. A virtue cannot be cultivated overnight, but rather it is a repeated behavior over and over again. Therefore, a virtue is a habit that contributes to good morals that contribute to having upright people in the society. Callan (2007) contends that traditions help in the rediscovery of morals. Hence the past can help to rebuild the present. Negative effects Traditions can lead to a routine that has been overtaken by events. As seen earlier there is always a meaning or significance attached to certain traditions. When things are done as a routine, people may not question because that is the way things have been done in the previous years and, therefore the same be done now. When things are done without questioning, there is danger that even when traditions are not meaningful or significant at the moment, people will tend to stick to them. This implies that the society can be stagnated in to the extent that there is no progress and growth in the society. Traditions can be a platform for contrast with modern views in the society. As mentioned earlier, traditions are a vehicle that is used to adapt the needs of the day. If such needs have been satisfied and no longer need the traditions to advocate for them, traditions can be contrasted with modernity. This can be a foundation of conflict in a group or society since not all will be sharing the same views. When there is the contrast, it is apparent that the traditions are undergoing changes. Such changes may either be visible or invisible, and may not be readily acceptable. One way in which modernity is contrasted with tradition is through behaviors exhibited by the contrasting groups. A group that is tradition oriented tends to value interdependence manifested in harmony, stability and generally care about the welfare of the group. On the other hand, modernity is expressed by valuing individualism mobility and progress. (38) … Overall there is collectivism in traditions, as opposed to individualism in modernity. Traditions can be a source of conflict between the old and the new generations. Since traditions are passed from one generation to another, the new generation may be tempted to question why certain things are done if they do not see any significance in it. The old generation may see this as unacceptable since that is the way things been have done, it should not be questioned. For the old generation, it is the norm rather than an exception. In the lottery article, one person raised the fact that other places had stopped lottery. An older man affirmed that it was because of the foolishness of the young people that it was stopped. There is an aspect of a generation gap being manifested. The older still value the old things during the same things probably not significant to the new generations. Traditions can lead to evil, implying that it can be harmful to people. Some traditions were practiced because it was thought that probably that was the best way to handle things. Some were a solution to problems that existed at that time. Much as these traditions were acceptable to the people, some of them are harmful and alternative solution can be sought given that as we continue to grow there many discoveries on how to handle issues in a better way compared to the way it was done traditionally. Some traditions are barbaric in the sense that they are behaviors that are not expected from human beings. For instance, traditions that uphold excommunication as a way of punishment may be uncalled for in the situation. Human beings are social beings, and when they are separated from other people, the message being communicated to the person being excommunicated is that, they are a lesser being which is not true. Excommunication from the society means being cut off completely from the community. It portrays that there is no existence between the person being excommunicated and the community or the society. Conclusion Traditions have been recognized as effective strategies by which the society can use to improve the life of the community. Traditions can be a very useful vehicle of upholding and building a good and healthy society in terms of human relationships. Traditions help in adapting to suit the needs of the day. Given that it is a repeated behavior among a group or society with significance attached to it, it enhances cultivating and maintaining virtues in the society. Traditions have been practiced from time immemorial. It is important that the society should be able to point out traditions that are good and constructive to the present generation and continues with them. Traditions that are harmful to the society and were practiced due to ignorance should be evaluated and seek alternative behaviors and activities. References Brainbati, R., Spengler, J. (2007). Traditions, values and Socio – economic development” New series, Vol.9. No. 2. Pp85 – 87. Callan,.D., (2007),”Traditions and Moral Life”. The hastings Centre Report, Vol.12, No.6. pp23 – 30. Read, S., (2007) Harmony and Autonomy in Classical logic” journal of Philosophical logic. Vol.29, No 2. pp 123 -154. Ross, E.A. (2009)”Socialization” American Journal of Sociology. Vol.24, No.6. pp 652. Smith, R. , Trimbur, J. (2005). “Rheutorics of unity and Disunity” Rheutoric Society Quaterly,Vol.33,No.4. pg7 Steinberg, M. (2008). Traditions and responsibility perspectives of new music, Vol 1, No.1 pp154 – 159. Read More