When should "Tradition" be changed?
Jan. 8th, 2020 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
storytimewithjoeOn Tradition and Change – an SCA Post
Anybody who knows me understands that I enjoy symbolism. While it has been ages since I was a Catholic, I always enjoyed the rich history and imagery ever-present within the church and the service. As a wide-eyed kid, I loved looking around the church at the statues, the paintings, the decorations, the fabrics, the candles, etc. Absolutely everything had a purpose – some sort of a reminder of a virtue or a story or a fable meant to encourage us to be good people and to do the right thing. Such is the power of symbolism. It doesn’t need to hit you over the head. But when you see it, and you understand its meaning (key point here), you find yourself reminded of the lesson that it was created to teach you.
But what happens when symbolism no longer works or loses its relevance? Should you continue to use it just…because? Or should you consider letting it fade or evolve? These are hard questions, and I don’t know that there is really one right answer. But for me, it comes down to this – people do not exist for the symbol. The symbol exists for people. And if the symbol no longer serves its purpose, then it is time for change. And with that, let me introduce the actual purpose of this post - within the SCA, how much damage do we do by resisting change?
We’ve all heard the jokes. “How many Westies does it take to change a lightbulb?” The answer is simple. “Change? CHANGE??????? That lightbulb was there at the first tourney, and by god, we are not going to change it!!!!!!” All joking aside, in my experience that mentality does seem to run rampant within the SCA in most if not all areas. And truthfully, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Those who resist change often find themselves in the position of Defenders of Tradition. Such people serve a very real and valuable position as the stabilizers of group culture. They are the ones who keep alive the individual characters of each household, Shire, Barony, Principality, or Kingdom. Without the organizers and list-makers out there who check to make sure that the chairs are placed just so and that the banners are stored nicely and brought out, and that items are taken care of, and that the key things that we want to repeat are repeated; we would not have the history and character that we have today. Tradition absolutely has a purpose!
But…
… not every single thing that is done more than once need be viewed as a tradition to be kept in perpetuity.
This is really the fine and tricky line that we all need to balance. Because when we establish something as “tradition”, what we immediately think about is that five years from now, ten years from now, twenty years from now; the people who will be around will be repeating things that got their foundation in our time. And that makes us feel good. It makes us feel like what we have contributed has purpose and meaning and power and beauty. It makes us feel like we have some sort of legacy. And there is nothing wrong with feeling that way. But there is also a flip side. By establishing something as “tradition,” it also puts the nail in the coffin to change. And the fact is, there really might be an even cooler concept out there that nobody has presented yet. And it is quite possible that some day, a person will come along who presents that new and shiny and cool and wonderful idea; only to be shut down by defenders of tradition. And ya know what is really sad? It is quite possible that the tradition being defended just no longer works for the people of the day. It is just a leftover from a time where different people played – and only they really understand the purpose and meaning of said tradition. And ya know what happens? That new person with spark and imagination and a desire to become invested loses interest. Why? Because whether anybody meant to do this or not, the door was slammed in his face. He has now been made to feel like there is no room for him or his ideas because our game exists just to serve the desires of old-timers, including many people who just no longer play. And that is wrong, plain and simple.
I really hope that in this post I am not coming across as disrespectful in any way, as that is not my intent. In my heart, I really AM all about having tradition and symbolism. But at the same time, I think we need to keep our thoughts and minds open towards change, not only for the present generation but for the future. Why? Because the difference between a newbie and a regular participant can be summarized, I believe, in one word – investment. It is only when someone feels in their heart that they belong and are INVESTED in the game that they really want to stick around. But if they are constantly told no over and over again because of rigid resistance to change, I believe they are all the more likely to want to leave and go find somewhere else to feel appreciated, listened to, and invested.
I myself have been a creator of change in the time that I have participated in the SCA. I have made regalia. Some of it is still used. Some was used for a while and then retired. It happens. And I’m ok with that. I have made changes to ceremony. Some of those changes are still used. Some reverted back to their previous versions. It happens. And that is fine. I have made suggestions for changes in how things are done. (OK, a LOT of suggestions). Some of those changes are still used. Some morphed in directions other than what I anticipated. And ya know what? It hasn’t destroyed my ego or feelings of self-worth. My point? When we find ourselves having that knee-jerk reaction to resist change, we need to ask ourselves if such a reaction really has merit. Are we trying to defend some aspect of the game that is Really Truly Important to the people of today? Or, are we reacting that way because we are somehow feeling like our own past is being washed away? The fact of the matter is this - regardless of what change happens tomorrow, it has no impact at all on our past – zero, zilch, nada. Just because the throne that you sat in 20 years ago was eventually replaced with something nicer, finer and more visually impressive does not invalidate your reign. Just because the wording for that ceremony that you drafted 30 years ago has changed, does not erase the history of the award. Just because the banner that you made eventually became tattered and needing replacement does not change the fact that your efforts went into making the group look good.
In short, change does not invalidate you, or your history, or your contributions.
As much as we love and learn about history, the SCA cannot and should not live in its own past. We have to live in the present and always look to the future. To do so, we have to be open to change. We have to become better about adapting to the here and now, and to the desires of people who are newer in the game. After all, the newcomer of today may very well be a peer sometime in the future. And that individual has just as much right to invest herself/himself into the culture of the SCA as we did in our time.
So when you find yourself ready to take up arms in defense of a symbol, or a ceremony, or an event style, or pretty much anything in the SCA that has, in your experience, “always been done this way”, I ask that you question yourself – does this thing really and truly work fully and perfectly for the people of today? If so, then by all means, defend it. But I hope you keep an open mind and also realize that, while it may have worked perfectly fine back in the day, perhaps it really is time to try something new, different, or modified for the sake of the new generation. Why? Because all they want is a chance to make the game theirs and to become invested, just the same as you did. And just as you did in your day, they deserve that opportunity today and in the future.
Anybody who knows me understands that I enjoy symbolism. While it has been ages since I was a Catholic, I always enjoyed the rich history and imagery ever-present within the church and the service. As a wide-eyed kid, I loved looking around the church at the statues, the paintings, the decorations, the fabrics, the candles, etc. Absolutely everything had a purpose – some sort of a reminder of a virtue or a story or a fable meant to encourage us to be good people and to do the right thing. Such is the power of symbolism. It doesn’t need to hit you over the head. But when you see it, and you understand its meaning (key point here), you find yourself reminded of the lesson that it was created to teach you.
But what happens when symbolism no longer works or loses its relevance? Should you continue to use it just…because? Or should you consider letting it fade or evolve? These are hard questions, and I don’t know that there is really one right answer. But for me, it comes down to this – people do not exist for the symbol. The symbol exists for people. And if the symbol no longer serves its purpose, then it is time for change. And with that, let me introduce the actual purpose of this post - within the SCA, how much damage do we do by resisting change?
We’ve all heard the jokes. “How many Westies does it take to change a lightbulb?” The answer is simple. “Change? CHANGE??????? That lightbulb was there at the first tourney, and by god, we are not going to change it!!!!!!” All joking aside, in my experience that mentality does seem to run rampant within the SCA in most if not all areas. And truthfully, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Those who resist change often find themselves in the position of Defenders of Tradition. Such people serve a very real and valuable position as the stabilizers of group culture. They are the ones who keep alive the individual characters of each household, Shire, Barony, Principality, or Kingdom. Without the organizers and list-makers out there who check to make sure that the chairs are placed just so and that the banners are stored nicely and brought out, and that items are taken care of, and that the key things that we want to repeat are repeated; we would not have the history and character that we have today. Tradition absolutely has a purpose!
But…
… not every single thing that is done more than once need be viewed as a tradition to be kept in perpetuity.
This is really the fine and tricky line that we all need to balance. Because when we establish something as “tradition”, what we immediately think about is that five years from now, ten years from now, twenty years from now; the people who will be around will be repeating things that got their foundation in our time. And that makes us feel good. It makes us feel like what we have contributed has purpose and meaning and power and beauty. It makes us feel like we have some sort of legacy. And there is nothing wrong with feeling that way. But there is also a flip side. By establishing something as “tradition,” it also puts the nail in the coffin to change. And the fact is, there really might be an even cooler concept out there that nobody has presented yet. And it is quite possible that some day, a person will come along who presents that new and shiny and cool and wonderful idea; only to be shut down by defenders of tradition. And ya know what is really sad? It is quite possible that the tradition being defended just no longer works for the people of the day. It is just a leftover from a time where different people played – and only they really understand the purpose and meaning of said tradition. And ya know what happens? That new person with spark and imagination and a desire to become invested loses interest. Why? Because whether anybody meant to do this or not, the door was slammed in his face. He has now been made to feel like there is no room for him or his ideas because our game exists just to serve the desires of old-timers, including many people who just no longer play. And that is wrong, plain and simple.
I really hope that in this post I am not coming across as disrespectful in any way, as that is not my intent. In my heart, I really AM all about having tradition and symbolism. But at the same time, I think we need to keep our thoughts and minds open towards change, not only for the present generation but for the future. Why? Because the difference between a newbie and a regular participant can be summarized, I believe, in one word – investment. It is only when someone feels in their heart that they belong and are INVESTED in the game that they really want to stick around. But if they are constantly told no over and over again because of rigid resistance to change, I believe they are all the more likely to want to leave and go find somewhere else to feel appreciated, listened to, and invested.
I myself have been a creator of change in the time that I have participated in the SCA. I have made regalia. Some of it is still used. Some was used for a while and then retired. It happens. And I’m ok with that. I have made changes to ceremony. Some of those changes are still used. Some reverted back to their previous versions. It happens. And that is fine. I have made suggestions for changes in how things are done. (OK, a LOT of suggestions). Some of those changes are still used. Some morphed in directions other than what I anticipated. And ya know what? It hasn’t destroyed my ego or feelings of self-worth. My point? When we find ourselves having that knee-jerk reaction to resist change, we need to ask ourselves if such a reaction really has merit. Are we trying to defend some aspect of the game that is Really Truly Important to the people of today? Or, are we reacting that way because we are somehow feeling like our own past is being washed away? The fact of the matter is this - regardless of what change happens tomorrow, it has no impact at all on our past – zero, zilch, nada. Just because the throne that you sat in 20 years ago was eventually replaced with something nicer, finer and more visually impressive does not invalidate your reign. Just because the wording for that ceremony that you drafted 30 years ago has changed, does not erase the history of the award. Just because the banner that you made eventually became tattered and needing replacement does not change the fact that your efforts went into making the group look good.
In short, change does not invalidate you, or your history, or your contributions.
As much as we love and learn about history, the SCA cannot and should not live in its own past. We have to live in the present and always look to the future. To do so, we have to be open to change. We have to become better about adapting to the here and now, and to the desires of people who are newer in the game. After all, the newcomer of today may very well be a peer sometime in the future. And that individual has just as much right to invest herself/himself into the culture of the SCA as we did in our time.
So when you find yourself ready to take up arms in defense of a symbol, or a ceremony, or an event style, or pretty much anything in the SCA that has, in your experience, “always been done this way”, I ask that you question yourself – does this thing really and truly work fully and perfectly for the people of today? If so, then by all means, defend it. But I hope you keep an open mind and also realize that, while it may have worked perfectly fine back in the day, perhaps it really is time to try something new, different, or modified for the sake of the new generation. Why? Because all they want is a chance to make the game theirs and to become invested, just the same as you did. And just as you did in your day, they deserve that opportunity today and in the future.
no subject
Date: 2020-01-10 09:02 pm (UTC)Sometimes there were grumblings about a few changes but that mostly came from the traditionalist or people who weren't at the initial discussions - because that's key, discussions. Also the understanding that nothing is permanent and something put into place today will always be reviewed in the future.