Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.

G.k. Chesterton
About This Quote

The idea that "tradition" is a way of life that our ancestors have left behind for us to uphold is a common belief. However, the simple fact is that "tradition" is nothing more than a set of rules. Whether or not those rules are beneficial or harmful is entirely arbitrary. Tradition does not dictate what we do, it merely dictates how we do something.

Unfortunately, modern society has gotten caught up in the idea that it needs to do what our ancestors did. This allows people who are completely unfamiliar with our traditions to make decisions for us. True tradition gives us the freedom to choose what we want to do and how we want to do it without interference from those who don’t understand our culture.

Source: Orthodoxy

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