‘TRADITIONS HAVE NO PLACE IN MODERN SOCIETY.' DISCUSS. Aaron Lee Norman Ng Sim Yu Kit

INTRODUCTION ❖ Tradition is the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way. Debates have sparked off on whether modern societies should be free from old traditional values, or traditional values are still providing fundamentals for development & survival of modern society. As Theodore Bikel once said, “You don't really need modernity in order to exist totally and fully. You need a mixture of modernity and tradition.” I therefore disagree that traditions do not have a place in society, as they can link the present to the past, provide a source of identity as well as bind groups of people together.

POINT 1 ❖ First and foremost, tradition is what gives people their link to the past. The traditions handed down from generation to generation give people a common ground with their families and friends, something they can do together and share their time together. ❖ Example: For example, Qingming festival is celebrated in China, where people go to their ancestor’s tomb to clean it, which is a tradition celebrated locally too. This tradition ensures that people visit their ancestors to pay their respects, and to remember their roots.

POINT 1 ❖ Elaboration: All in all, traditions are a way to make sure the ones that have left us are remembered, to make sure the things people hold dear and that touched their lives are continued and passed on. They are important in ensuring that memorise are held onto. ❖ Link: In the end, I strongly believe that traditional values still hold value in modern society, and cannot be ignored even today.

POINT 2 ❖ Point: Family traditions and one’s traditional history can provide a source of identity for the children in the family, teaching them about their family heritage and origins, or giving them insights into their cultural or religious history, providing a national identity and rooting them to their country in the process. ❖ Substantiation: Dr Marshall Duke, an award-winning Psychologist teaching at the Emory University, has found that children who have an intimate knowledge of their family’s traditions and history are typically more well- adjusted and self-confident than children who don’t.

POINT 2 ❖ Example: In the Singapore education system, many schools stress the teachings of traditional confucian values, such as the Dunman High School, where it is even a subject in school. The school feels that it is important for the students, who are mostly Chinese, to keep in touch with their roots through these traditional beliefs, as it can strengthen their moral compass, while also providing a source of identity for these students. ❖ Elaboration: Understanding one’s own past and knowing one belongs can benefit these children in the long run, positively shaping their thoughts and behaviours, which is integral to a child’s development.

POINT 2 ❖ Link: Having confidence and being emotionally or mentally stable can and will help them be more successful in life. This is especially important in the 21st century, where these qualities can provide an advantage to help to land jobs in an extremely competitive work environment in modern society. Therefore I disagree with the statement, and instead think that traditions still have a place in modern society.

POINT 3 ❖ Point: Traditions bind a group of people together, across generations. The purpose of traditions is to remember events of significance in the past. As such, we could say that traditions assist in helping us maintain a continuity with the past. Tradition ties people over different age groups and people with different experiences with a common identity by celebrating a same event. ❖ Example: Examples of different ages of people bonding over tradition are common. In Singapore, many families come together to celebrate National Day. Families celebrating this event has its significance as National Day helps foster national cohesion and instil a sense of national identity among students and younger Singaporeans, inculcating an understanding of the challenges and vulnerabilities that are unique to Singapore

POINT 3 ❖ Explanation As such tradition is integrated into our culture and binds a society under common ground. Tradition as it satisfies our emotional needs, at the same time helping to promote better relationships and a greater sense attachment between family members. ❖ Link As people become more distant and busy with their individual affairs in an increasingly fast paced and competitive modern society, bonding and celebrating over common traditions can become ever so important to supporting a healthy family and an inclusive society. Hence I disagree with the statement as traditions still have a positive impact in modern society, and therefore relevant.

COUNTER ARGUMENT ❖ Point: However, certain traditions can have negative impacts on a society, cultivating the likes of unfairness and discrimination among citizens of the community. ❖ Example: In Dongguan, China, where an underlying belief that women are inferior to men exist, local officials have organized classes on "female virtues", where women are encouraged not retaliate when scolded or physically assaulted, as it is their society’s tradition to do so. They are also advised to resign to their fate, and never seek divorce, even if their marital life becomes unbearable - which is akin to putting the old Chinese patriarchal society's prejudicial moral shackles on women.

COUNTER ARGUMENT ❖ Elaboration + Link: Society is dynamic and constantly changing, with its core and accepted values differing with the passing of time. What was a commonly accepted practice a century ago may not be appropriate a century later. 21st century philosophies and ideas that are generally embraced such as gender equality are be constantly held back by the chains of traditions, restricting modern society from progressing, and potentially even hauling it further backwards. In this regard, traditions have no place in modern society.

REBUTTAL ❖ However, deeming all traditions unfit for our modern society just because of a few negative ones is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. A few negative traditions, which mostly exist in more backward regions in the first place, should not cause the benefits and positive impacts of other traditions to be discarded alongside with it. Therefore tradition still has a place in society.

CONCLUSION ❖ In a nutshell, it can be seen that tradition does have a place in society, regardless of how much a emphasis and place it gets. We must always be cautious about which traditions to keep, and which to discard. People should be made aware of harms that some traditions might bring about through the media, such that those ignorant would be more likely to do away with it after being enlightened, whilst those who are apathetic might be put under peer pressure. In the end, tradition is something people should be upholding, but only those worth doing so.