Blood & Ink: Wednesday

worship of ashes / preservation of fire / tradition

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”

Growing up I was near-religiously opposed to tradition…

Foolish and superstitious edifices of a decadent past that had no place in civilized culture.

Spiritual bondage from generations long since dead.

I sought to free myself, to break free from tradition and find the emerging future at all costs. It led me to beautiful places.

But how foolish I was…

Like inspecting a car, and not knowing what a particular piece does, removing it completely. Your ignorance of its function is no basis for its removal.

We forget how unique this moment in history is. The last century is vastly different than the entirety of human history. 

It is also fragile.

In two generations we have lost fundamental skills like growing food, repairing clothing, medicinal uses of plants, living relationships with the sacred, community support, and others.

None of this is guaranteed.

Tradition is not the worship of ashes.

Tradition is the preservation of fire.

A passing of the torch from one generation to the next, so that what is meaningful, important, and essential to human flourishing might support the next generation to take one additional step forward on the path of progress. 

I am reminded of this quote by Dominique Venner: 

“Tradition is not the past, but that which does not pass.”

Embrace your heritage,
Eric Brown.