the ways its always been

"Tradition is what you resort to when you don’t have the time or the money to do it right."
— Kurt Herbert Alder

i happened across this quote recently and i just don't think i agree with it at all. yes, sometimes tradition needs to be rethought. sometimes the way its always been done could be better. but not always. there are a lot of traditions that shouldn't be toyed with at all. my folks always get pizza and watch old movies on christmas eve and i hope they never tinker with that. and well, yeah, i also don't do change very well. if its justified, i may gripe a bit but in the end go along. if the change is not justified, then no one is going to be in for a pleasant experience. i like tradition. i find comfort in knowing exactly what is going to happen next. i find beauty in pattern and rhythm, knowing that other people in other places and times have done something the same way that i am. i'm always surprised when other people have the opposite assumption, that something is by default wrong because it is the tradition.