INTRODUCTION
Tradition and progress are interdependent elements which is very important for the growth of the society to the next level. When we concentrate only on traditions and the traditional values then we cannot see any progress in the society of today. So, the question now is whether traditions are a boon or bane to the progress of the society.
WHAT IS THE REAL MEANING OF TRADITION?
Traditions refer to the set of rules, values and customs which we have to follow past so many generations. Each religion has its own set of traditions like for example Muslims have to pray to god for 6 times every day and Hindus should not wear any footwear inside the temple. Each country has its own set of traditions too like in Islamic countries such as Arab the women are not allowed to talk to any men on roads and women should wear a burkah while travelling outside. When it comes to traditions we have to take only the content which is beneficial for the growth of the people and the society. We have to discard the useless traditions that show any conspiracy towards any issues of the society.
IS IT A BOON OR BANE?
I sincerely do not have the answer for this question. As traditions have its equal share of advantages and disadvantages when it comes to the question of whether traditions help to build the progress of the society. If we had followed the olden tradition rules which states that women are destined to be only in the kitchen then we would not have got great female leaders such as Queen Victoria, Hillary Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, etc. So, this would mean that traditions are a bane to the society. Whereas to support that traditions are a boon to the society there are many examples such as
- Women going to bars, pubs, discos, etc
- Taking the wrong path of life by getting involved in illegal activities such as drugs, alcohol, etc
- Women wearing extremely short clothes and looking sexually appealing
- People not taking care of their family and kids instead concentrating only on work
- Leaving their parents in homage centers
- Leaving their kids at childcare
So, when we see these examples we tend to appreciate the former traditions followed where women dress decently, taking care of their old parents and kids well, decreased rate of rapes and harassment etc.
PROGRESS OF THE SOCIETY
Actually the former rituals and rights of various traditions were simple and elegant but the various generations of the people have implemented their new ideas into the former rituals and rights and complicated these traditions. Hence, for the progress of the society we have to take all the good values and rules from our olden traditions alone. We have to discard all the values and rules put in the picture by the tradition which acts as a barrier for the progress of the society. Change is always good but what we have to look into is whether the output of the change is fruitful or not for the progress of the society to a higher level of standard.
CONCLUSION
I would like to conclude with the fact that sacred traditions have to be kept intact since it does not affect the progress of the society that much. We should never forget the moral values and ethics which were followed by every human being in order for them to be symbolized as a cultured human. If we do not follow them then there is no difference between a human and an animal. So, always follow these words,
“Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse.”
– Winston Church
