All too often, people spend vast amounts of time, effort, and/or money in order to conform to traditions which are quite unnecessary. In the (few) cases where people actually wish to use the traditions because of their own merits, rather than because they are traditions, then of course there is nothing wrong with this. If, however, people are only performing actions in order to conform with unnecessary tradition, then there is a problem.
Two examples which come to mind at once (probably due to my essay) are aspects of engagement and marriage - specifically, engagement rings and weddings. Many people believe that if a person does not present their potential fiancé with a costly engagement ring, their affection is not genuine. This is entirely phony, as the concept of diamond engagement rings was actually introduced by the diamond industry in order to boost sales. Even amongst those who are aware of this, however, engagement rings continue to be a popular gesture, perhaps primarily because if they fail to conform to the engagement tradition, others (parents and friends especially) will likely question the sincerity of their (or, more commonly, of their fiancé's) affection. Weddings are similarly problematic. It has become a tradition in America to spend a large amount of money on one's wedding. If one does not, or if one marries without a wedding, then many assume that the people getting married are either impoverished, in a rush, or marrying without the approval of their families - furthermore, they often assume that the marrying people will regret their decision to 'skimp' on their wedding later in life. This is ridiculous, as it could be that the people marrying simply do not wish to spend a great deal of money on a single occasion. Having a costly wedding is not inherently bad, but neither is there any reason why it should be considered necessary for a full life.
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