Unquestioned Traditions!

This morning, I woke up thinking about something a friend working in Africa once shared with me. She visited a tribe in a nearby country and learned that when boys reach puberty, one of their ceremonial rituals involves whipping girls. The women in that tribe carry these whip marks on their backs. Even today, in some parts of the world, practices like this still exist. You might be born into that tribe as a girl in your next life, so it’s worth thinking about justice now.

I remembered a woman I met in a past job, from a partner organization I worked with. She was living in the city and avoided returning to her hometown because her family wanted her to marry, but she didn’t want to. According to their tradition, if her elder sister passed away, she would be expected to marry her sister’s husband and take care of their children. From the outside, it’s easy to see how awful and unfair this is, but for people within these traditions, it’s hard to recognize that.

How did these traditions come about? I believe some influential people of their time created them for their own convenience, and others have continued practicing them without question. While parts of the world are advancing with the internet and AI, some are still holding on to harmful customs, treating them as tradition. There’s a strange coexistence of progress and outdated practices.

I’m also reminded of traditions that aren’t necessarily harmful but still make me question. Right now, in our country, people are teasing single individuals about marriage. This is the Thidingyut season, which is known as wedding season. Before this, during the Buddhist Lent, it’s considered an unsuitable time for weddings.

This belief isn’t directly based on Buddha’s teachings. It actually comes from guidelines that were originally meant for monks. Over time, people extended this idea to everyday life, leading to the belief that it’s not appropriate to have weddings during this period. But in reality, this custom is more about cultural interpretation than a religious rule for laypeople.

Even with the internet and AI, people still don’t question these practices. We’re comfortable with what’s familiar. 

These are just some of my early morning thoughts on traditions.

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