Issue147【超越自我小组】第六次作业by cartographer08

cartographer08UID: 2523568

For July 10

Issue 147
"Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them."

The speaker claims that tradition and modernization are mutually exclusive without exception. That might be true in certain cases. However, for the most part, modernization does not fight against tradition. It is true in most situations, which refer to cultural level, especially in the development of art, language and law.

In the first place, the so-called modernization for arts is actually an extension or new form of tradition, or just a variation on it. Take the theme song “I and you” at opening ceremony of 29th Olympic Game in Beijing as example, it sounds very cordial and makes many people think of the ancient traditional melody in China. But also the song sublimates the interpretation of the “One World, One Dream” with some modern belief, such as people living in harmony and world filling with love. So the song represents an excellent cooperation of tradition and modernization, they can just work well together. Since the different forms of art are related and sharing many common characteristics, this phenomenon also seen in the modernization of other kinds of art, such as painting, literature and drama.

Secondly, when comes to the topic of language, it is the same that those terms in modern society can back to ancient times. Quite a few of popular Chinese proverbs as well as English words come from the traditional culture which last for thousands of year. And language itself is an ever-changing thing that accumulated the traditional valuable words into the modern system. People from the middle age might have some difficulties in understanding the new words create during the modernization of language, they can communication with today’s people as long they speak the same kind of language.

Thirdly, law derives and develops from the summary ancient old credos. In western society, there are mainly two types of law systems which called civil law and the common law, respectively. The former one developed and based on Roman law. And the latter one referred to the English common law as the legal basis. Although the specific origin differs, both of these laws derived from the ancient sages that put down through generation to generation.

Admittedly, in certain instances especially in the region of politic, tradition must yield entirely to the utilitarian needs of modernization when the former cannot suit the latter. Although there are many good virtue of tradition, bad influence indeed exists. Such as the unjust traditional rules or ideas, always be replace by new ones with the development of modern society. Martin Luther King, the famous lawyer and leader, fight all his life for the equal Civil Rights for Black in the United State. And finally, the Black people in America today even have the chance to be president of the country. In the traditional point of views in 200 years ago, that thing could never happen.

To sum up, the relationship of tradition and modernization could collaborate and develop together, unless in some regions they have unsolvable conflict. What we need to do is to find the balance and to maintain this balance.