There is a lot of debate over whether it’s better to follow traditional practices or look for new ways of doing things. Let’s explore both of these options.
One potential advantage of following tradition is that an established method for accomplishing a certain task may be the best way of doing that particular thing. If so, then any change would be less effective. Complicated solutions can take a long time to figure out. Humans from years gone by who have done the hard work involved in figuring out those solutions allow you to reap the benefits of their tinkering, toiling, and head-scratching by simply copying their end results. Using the wheel is often better than trying to reinvent it.
A con of following tradition is that it may result in things getting done in an inferior way. A new way of completing a particular task may be better than anything else that’s come before it. While much wisdom has been passed down over time, not everything that’s been passed down is wisdom. Technology that’s now obsolete was once state-of-the-art, and, before it was replaced by something better, was itself a replacement for something older that had run its course. If a superior way of doing things is developed, then the old way becomes obsolete as soon as something better comes along. This is true whether or not that new way becomes standard. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Bad practices often continue because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” This occurs in many company policies, laws, family rules, and so on. More on that later.
Another pro of looking for new ways to do things is that new methods may be better than old methods. This is especially relevant when the old methods were developed in response to particular issues that have since fallen by the wayside. In such cases, keeping the old methods is optional. Learning and exploring can often lead to methods that produce better results, and using the new methods that work can allow everyone to enjoy the improved outcomes rather than being stuck with the inferior outcomes as a result of holding onto old methods once they’ve outlived their usefulness.
A con of pursuing new ways is that doing so might lead to abandoning good methods for inferior methods. Not everything new is good, and anyone who fails to keep this in mind can lose sight of good practices and ideas that have been around for ages. Sometimes tried-and-true methods are eliminated for no other reason than wanting to do things differently. Further, there is always some transitional difficulty when moving from an old system to a new system, even if the end result is better than what it replaced. When it is worse than what it replaced, the transitional struggle and the inferiority of the new system can leave many folks wondering why something perfectly good was abandoned for something worse.
Of course, nothing prevents one from following tradition in some cases and coming up with new solutions in others. The problems described above come from taking the all-or-nothing approach of either going entirely with old methods or entirely with new methods. Finding a balance between the two approaches can put an end to all the fights over either extreme approach, find solutions to longstanding problems, and make things better for everyone.
The tricky part is knowing when to stick with the old and when to go for the new. This often involves a lot of trial and error, and things may get worse before they get better. Fortunately, as with all other things, this gets easier with practice. It’s best to try it out in small ways first as failing small is better than failing big. As competence grows, it can be done with bigger and more important decisions.
I know this works because it’s what I do in my own life. There are some things I’ve done for years now because they’ve worked wonderfully for me, and I haven’t found anything better. Occasionally, I’ll find something new that produces better results, so I’ll switch to that. The change doesn’t even have to be big since small changes can produce huge benefits. I’ve also done this at the different places I’ve worked, volunteered, and otherwise put a lot of effort into. I’ll never know how some of my proposed changes would have worked out since they were never implemented. However, I made beneficial changes wherever I could, to the betterment of everyone involved.
All this being said, I do love the comfort and familiarity of a nice tradition. One of many things that was so painful about my dog Sawyer’s death was the loss of all the cherished traditions and routines we’d developed together. Everything from morning and nighttime routines, saying goodbye and hello whenever I left the house, hanging out with each other during free moments, and much more was all gone in a matter of minutes. For my own comfort and healing, I developed a number of new routines after his death based on some of the regular routines we shared. Some of these have fallen away as the pain has decreased, such as the huge focus on self-care to the exclusion of most other things early on. Others have stuck around to this day as my healing journey has progressed to the point that I have reintroduced other things I lost after Sawyer died as a result of seeing that I can handle more than simply surviving without him.
Unfortunately, it seems as if taking the balanced approach I described above is hardly ever done. It’s much more common for someone to either rely almost exclusively on tradition or look for all new ways of doing nearly everything. Further, it’s easy to think that the way things currently are is how they’ve always been and how they’ll always be. Questioning traditions often results in backlash, fights, strained or broken relationships, and general animosity from those who are unwilling to consider alternate methods of doing things. As in all other areas, this just results in those who want change pushing even more strongly in that direction, which causes the same to happen with those who want to preserve traditions, and things escalate ever further away from any potential solution. This is why trying to change the status quo in any significant way almost always fails and why problems that have been around for millennia persist. I see no end to this within my lifetime, so I’m mostly content to continue finding the right balance between maintaining valuable traditions and making useful changes in my own life. I hope you’ll do the same.