Should Society Stop Looking to The Past And Focus In The Future?

“Tradition is a guide and not a jailer.” Said W. Somerset Maugham French Writer. His quote explains how society uses tradition as a guide to build the future. In fact, this is how society uses tradition and culture now days, focusing on what past cultures did to use it as a reference in the present. The problem with this theory is that society does not realize tradition is a way to control and maintain power. Tradition and culture is bad because people are being blinded on what happened in the past. Tradition is being used to stop society from retaliating against non-sense traditions. Tradition is not only seen as good by society, it is fundamental to the actual way most of the people live and it is also connected with strong believes. These stop people from looking forward instead of looking to past cultures. Tradition is also said to be an effective way to bring people together. For example, when Christians, Muslims or people who have the same believes or share same ideas come together. What society needs to realize is that instead of bringing people together what tradition really does is recluse groups, isolating them from the rest of the society. The problem begins with what society considers tradition. Tradition gives control to the ones on top of the food chain.

Tradition is when believes, ideas or events are transferred from generation to generation. Society takes old cultures or traditions as examples to build their own. According to the Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology, the definition to tradition in religion and most specifically in Christians is:

The word ‘tradition’ derives from the Latin verbal root tradere, ‘to hand down’ or ‘to bequeath’, and in its Christian use refers to a body of authoritative belief...

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...e benefits. Also, people should research more on what they chose to believe. Most of the times they have wrong believes that only help leaders to maintain power and society under control leading to ignorance.

Works Cited

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2. "Quote." The Gazette: 0. Apr 30 2001. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014 .

3. Thiel, John E. "Tradition." Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011. Credo Reference. Web. 23 February 2014.

4. "Culture Unites People." Papua New Guinea Post - Courier: 14. Aug 01 2013. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014 .

5. Bilefsky, Dan. "Prisoners of a Deadly Tradition in Albania Blood Feuds Isolate Men in Rural Region." International Herald Tribune: 2. Jul 11 2008. ProQuest. Web. 23 Feb. 2014 .

6. Bible. N.T. Chinese. New Testament. , 1926.