"Change before change." is an old proverb which silently speaks that we have to change before the world changes. When we think of the concept custom is just opposite to the proverb. We can clearly understand that by the word meaning given by Oxford dictionary follows "An accepted way of behaving or doing things in a society or a community." Custom is a way that should be followed and accepted by a society or a community; we cannot change it, as we wish it. Definition of custom given by one encyclopedia goes like this A custom is anything which lots of people do, and has done for a long time. Usually, the people come from the same country, culture, time or religion. This is another definition- Long-established practice, considered as unwritten law, and resting for authority on long consent, usage. I think we can call this custom as tradition too. What is the importance of custom in the philosophical world? As philosopher let me put my views about custom, world likes changes and some extent it invites what is not good for it. There plays the role of custom. It tries to keep some morality in the world. If we do not have any kind of customs people may live according to their instinct and that can lead us to immoral way of life. As we know that, it is unwritten law but it plays an important role to build up a community or a society. Since the customs is a long established practice people give respect to it. "A custom more honored in the breach than the observance." William Shakespeare speaks in Hamlet.
A civilized society's first line of defense is not the law, police and courts but customs, traditions and moral values. Custom is also specific practice of long standing. In the area of jobs custom is a statement of the underlying principles that guide our work. It recognizes that the interaction of customs with its clients represents a continuum that balances service, facilitation and enforcement activities. Custom includes thou-shalt-nots such as shalt not murder, shalt not steal, shalt not lie and cheat, but they also include all those courtesies one might call ladylike and gentlemanly conduct. Behavioral norms, mostly transmitted by example, word of mouth and religious teachings, represent a body of wisdom distilled over the ages through customs and trial and error. So custom is an important thing in the day today life which helps us to live us a normal human being if we have no customs we will be just like animal which lives with its instinct.
No comments:
Post a Comment