![[Corrected] It's a scam! Tradition](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1550177205-89d100b75c34?ixid=M3wzMjMzNTZ8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHwyfHx0cmFkaXRpb258ZW58MHwwfHx8MTY4NjA1NjI4OXww&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&w=1200&fit=fill)
Tradition is just a means of self-defence used by those who are afraid of change.
I understand them. It's natural to be afraid, and, biologically speaking, it's an important reflex. However, glorifying the fear and treating it as some kind of virtue is by far an exaggeration.
Tradition isn't a value per se, it's just a set of rules invented by someone who lived on the earth before you.
Laws generally exist for a reason. Rules were invented to let the society live better, but society evolves, it changes and gains more and more experience than its predecessors as it goes. Every few years, society changes beyond recognition. It doesn't resemble its former version anymore and, exactly as that other one, it wants to live better and so it needs to update its laws. Nonetheless, not everybody welcomes this kind of update. Some are afraid of it. Very afraid.
As a shield, society provides us with tradition - thanks to this, nothing will change and you'll remain safe and sound! Sound... Sounds... like a load of bollocks. Because what is true is the exact opposite.
You can't control others. They're going to do what they want to do and not what you WOULD LIKE them to do. You want the world to remain as it is currently, but, bad news, the world belongs equally to others, and what actually takes place is a sum of actions realised by humanity as a whole. And humanity goes forward. They go there. You stay here. Are you safe? Not at all. You fall into an even bigger cack. Had you gone with them, you'd at least have some company to support you during this difficult time. But you gave up on following them. The world, culture, people, they have fled, and it's impossible for you to catch up because it's already too late.
Everything has changed. And you've been fooled. By people who kicked the bucket some 100 years ago.
I love the way your writing flows. It's as if we could hear you speaking these words, which is what good prose should read like. One suggestion to enhance that effect even more is to use more contractions, which will give your "speech" the right rhythm. Overall, I find that people who let language flow like this do best with foreign languages. Don't be discouraged by all the corrections; once you study them and incorporate them into your language database, your next post is going to be that much better. Bravo!
@CocoPop Incredible. Imagine that 3 months ago you would've never written it under any of my articles. All that you find pleasant in this writing almost certainly comes from a book which I've read recently: "The Art and Business of Online Writing". I heard you were a professional, so perhaps you'd be interested (or it would be too obvious to you ;) ). One way or another, thank you a lot for this compliment. I'm stunned. I've never been good at writing in an interesting way, actually.
You're very welcome. Keep up the good work. I've actually heard of that book and read parts of it. Good stuff!
Well said @CocoPop! You're right about the flow. I hadn't even noticed that I was reading it in my head with that sentiment until this comment. There's a certain "voice" to it that I can almost hear. Additionally, most of the corrections were minor or even errors that a native speaker may make, so do find encouragement in that. You're in s space where you're improving your writing and not just making it functional. So congratulations on that achievement! It's a significant hurdle.
@Jeremy_Snyder: Absolutely. You can always tell when someone's writing reads like an exercise from a textbook, and when they're actually wielding language to express themselves organically and genuinely (even with mistakes!). Most of the posts on this site read like Wikipedia articles... even this post is a little esoteric for my taste. But at least it has an authentic voice. I personally love it when people write about personal experiences, good or bad, and especially made-up stories. There's a user on here, Coral, who enthralled us for months with a fictional story spanning several posts, that explored the breadth and depth of her English prowess. Over the course of several months, you could see her English improve by leaps and bounds and become more and more prosaic and natural and enjoyable(!) with every post. So, to circle back to our original point, flow is everything. This post is interesting because it moves — even if I'm not particularly crazy about the subject. I can't deny that it's a captivating read.