Free Choice Blog

While I was studying monsters and the psychology of fear, I perceived certain observable trends symbolic of the development of human tradition, and they really sidetracked me. It’s obvious today, especially with our advancements in medicine and psychology, that life has many stages which divide our mental and physical growth and into which we can compartmentalize our experiences. When I look at some traditions that were born of monsters, or that monsters were born of, I see integration of certain human activities into the construction of hteir identities and the notoriety that ensues from their ability to affect the lives of those whose existence pertains to them. A monster who may represent death, or natural disasters, or goo/bad luck, or folly, or mischief, sets an expectation in its believers to at some point in their lives see evidence of its existence. Nobody necessarily wants to stay alive to witness a natural disaster, bad luck, folly or anything of the like, but if the legend is alive, they may expect it regardless. Other traditions seem to encompass typical experiences we encounter in the span of a lifetime, like school, success, love and more. All birthdays, and certainly some in particular, have traditional celebrations – like the mitzvah held for practicing Jews at the age of 13. With the recent passing of my 21st birthday, which incorporated many conventional celebratory ideas both in practice and in my mental state, I have been preoccupied with the thought that the expectation of certain experiences encourages us to reach them during the duration of a lifetime. Even the concept of bad luck becomes an experience we associate with value, from the growth and sometimes lessons it can evoke. Because there are many infamous associations with the age of 21, especially in western civilization, I, as many people surely are, was very inclined to make it to 21 years– to at the least remain alive until it arrived and even further, to have made certain achievements by the time I reached it. By this rationality, I think that traditions have a life-elongating effect on us.