Sometimes, we yield to traditions that seem to have been around forever and as with most traditions, many of us honor them but never know why. Now questioning traditions isn’t always a bad thing since most people are naturally nosy (inquisitive for all of you euphemists out there). Yet staunch adherence to history can be helpful or a hindrance depending on the context and we sometimes need to know why we are doing certain things.
Our inquisitive, curious nature can take us a long way at times. Look at humanity in terms of advances in science and technology. Asking why things fall or how is it that birds fly has given us an amazing growth in physics, flight and space exploration. When people wanted to know more about the body or the human mind, the fields of psychology and physiology were born and continue to grow. As people, we are innately curious and ask questions that we hope will allow us to grow and advance. Admittedly, this can really be good old fashion nosiness but again it’s not always bad right?
Don’t be afraid to ask those questions sometimes. Look past the fear or the intimidation of raising your hand or speaking up when you imply want to know why or what’s the reason. Think about it like this: if you were baking cookies and someone said butter or grease the pan before you put the dough in, you may ask and realize that this simply stops the dough from sticking to the pan. But if someone were telling you to not stand behind a bazooka because of the force and materials that come out of the rear of the device, you may realize that your life depends on it.
Now traditions that we adhere to may not be so serious that if we deviate from them, our lives may be at jeopardy. But allow me to share a simple story to illustrate a point: A mom was preparing a ham and sliced a little piece off the end. Her kids asked why she does that and she replied that her mom taught her to do that. She then decided to ask her mom why she needed to trim the end of the ham. Her mom said that her mom taught her to do that. Finally, they asked the great grandma why the ham was trimmed at the end like that and the great grandma simply replied that when she used to prepare hams, her pan was to small so she simply made it fit.
Some of the things we do came about out of necessity or usefulness and there may not be any amazing or deep background behind them. We can follow traditions but don’t be afraid of your curious nature. Inside of every person is that voice, it’s almost childlike in essence, that asks questions and pushes us, guides us to simply want to know why.
Embrace that curious child. Your life is a gift good people, share it generously and wisely.