View Full Version : Staunch traditionalism...
Do you classify yourself as a staunch traditionalist?
I see myself locked in a time-warp, a place, where accepting and adopting new and modern things into my life, just doesn't fit in. For example, Keurig? What in the world?! What happened to ground coffee and a percolator pot?
Anyhow, thought it would be fun to present the question to all to ponder... and, answer.
I prefer to mindfully adopt appropriate technology and practices, rather than to arbitrarily draw lines.
Being an explorer by nature and very curious about everything, old and new, I cannot be staunch anything. I love analyzing and comparing and considering how things came to be, how they may impact my/family's life and the future.
I have strong values that may be considered traditional though.
gimmethesimplelife
12-1-12, 9:23pm
Interesting question, Mrs. M.....off the top of my head I am remembering my frustrating experience I had last month upgrading my inexpensive and perfectly adequate flip phone cell phone to a smartphone, and how I was so frustrated when I realized there was going to be a learning curve involved here and what did I need to be tethered to the Internet on the go for, anyway? I remember thinking that when I returned the phone that I am old enough to remember the days when there were rotary dial phones, no answering machines, no caller ID, and when a phone rang, you just picked it up and talked or just took your chances and ignored the call - the concept of a telephone was once that simple. I miss that, I really do. I do agree that techology is not all bad - we would not have this forum, for example, if it were not for the Interent. I remember at one rough point in my life selling off my clutter on ebay and doing quite well and being very grateful for the ability to do this, too. It has it upsides, sure.
But.....I also think there are dowsides. When I was growing up in rural New Hampshire in the seventies, children actually used to ride bikes and play -not sit around glued to computers and gaming devices. I feel for the kids of today - what kind of childhood are they having due to technology? Rob
Nope, polar opposite here. I like new and shiny. Don't always buy it, but am interested enough to research it. Always looking for a new, better, easier way. Nothing irritates me more when I ask someone why they are doing something the way they are, and they answer "that's the way we always do it". Particularly when the way they are doing it takes way more time and effort and I have to participate in it. OK, I lied, the think that irritates me even more than that is when I'm told I can't do something because of precedent or my gender or what have you. No one dares that with me anymore, but as a kid I heard it all the time. I couldn't do anything I considered interesting because that was considered boy stuff. I became an engineer anyways, so there. :laff:
ToomuchStuff
12-2-12, 2:37am
I prefer to mindfully adopt appropriate technology and practices, rather than to arbitrarily draw lines.
I will add to this, there are some things, you have little or no choice about. I agree with the above, but how far back does Mrs. M consider tradition? Drive without a seatbelt? TV (if you choose to have one) that goes off the air at midnight (love to see how you block it), candlelight (pre electric in houses), etc.
I try to carefully monitor my traditionalist tendencies, so I don't consider myself traditionalist in everything--just some things. Sometimes sticking to tradition can be like that old pot roast story* so I try to guard against justifying traditions that might have outlived their usefulness. I'm Aries--first sign of the zodiac, and tend to get psyched by new ideas. I might reject them upon examination, but I always like to follow the arrow in flight.
*The Pot Roast story for those who don't know it:
A young woman is preparing a pot roast while her friend looks on. She cuts off both ends of the roast, prepares it and puts it in the pan.
“Why do you cut off the ends?” her friend asks. “I don’t know”, she replies. “My mother always did it that way and I learned how to cook it from her”.
Her friend’s question made her curious about her pot roast preparation. During her next visit home, she asked her mother, “How do you cook a pot roast?” Her mother proceeded to explain and added, “You cut off both ends, prepare it and put it in the pot and then in the oven”. “Why do you cut off the ends?” the daughter asked. Baffled, the mother offered, “That’s how my mother did it and I learned it from her!”
Her daughter’s inquiry made the mother think more about the pot roast preparation. When she next visited her mother in the nursing home, she asked, “Mom, how do you cook a pot roast?” The mother slowly answered, thinking between sentences. “Well, you prepare it with spices, cut off both ends and put it in the pot”.
The mother asked, “But why do you cut off the ends?” The grandmother’s eyes sparkled as she remembered. “Well, the roasts were always bigger than the pot that we had back then. I had to cut off the ends to fit it into the pot that I owned”.
I prefer to mindfully adopt appropriate technology and practices, rather than to arbitrarily draw lines.
I agree with Bae here... there's no doubt the technology has improved my quality of life, it's only a pity that so much of human effort in this arena is dedicated the human insanity rather than human advancement... I have to confess that I was for a long time a gadget freak, forever snapping up the latest item without really considering whether it would contribute to making me happier, nevermind whether I actually needed it... who actually uses 'facetime' on their mobile phones anyway? ... when I see new reports of people queuing all night in the freezing cold so as to be the 'first' the get their hands on the new iPad, which to all intents and purposes is exactly the same as the old iPad, I feel that I'm seeing humanity's lostness in full living color... I am all for celebrating the wonders of technology, but all too often these advances combine with our consumerism to bring an unhealthy urgency and automaticity to our shopaholia.... yuk!
Do you classify yourself as a staunch traditionalist?
I see myself locked in a time-warp, a place, where accepting and adopting new and modern things into my life, just doesn't fit in.
...she said while typing on a computer linked to the internet.;)
Simpler at Fifty
12-2-12, 12:13pm
@Catherine- I think of that story often when I am ready to say 'that is the way we always did it'.
Bae. I'm slow to the ideal you outlined, but am somewhat coming around to it. I have always been a hard-sell, and tend to lean more strongly towards the old, rather than the new, but have to admit that certain things do spark my interest, like a new HE washing machine and dryer, so there's hope for me yet! :)
Razz. Re: strong values that may be considered traditional, I'm with you on that.
Gimmethesimplelife. You touch on so many things that are close to me, i.e., rotary telephones, etc. This, too, is one are where I'm happy for new technologies, and gladly adopted those technologies when they came available, so, yes, you're right, new/modern, does have an upside. Re: kids nowadays, I, too, pity the sideways style of upbringing so many are being exposed to nowadays. Very unhealthy.
Herbgeek. Funny stuff! :) I, too, get giddy over certain "new and shiny" things, but what little spark erupts is never enough to create a fire in me. It's really hard to describe/explain, but old things and stuff, traditional things and stuff, is just me.
ToomuchStuff. Well... not as far back as when you had to take a chisel to a stone to make it round to create a wheel, or hold a stick between the palms of your hands and pendulate vigorously to create heat and friction to start a fire.
Catherine. Loved that story!
Lucas. I'm grateful for many of the technological advancements introduced to us over the past 50-100 years, too.
Originally posted by Peggy.
...she said while typing on a computer linked to the internet.Please review previous entry to yours. :)
This is an interesting thread.
As far as the rotary phones w/no caller ID or answering machines, yeah, they're simpler and you don't have to think as hard to use them but I really wouldn't want to go back to that.
Never heard the pot roast story. Good point about hankering for the good 'ole days w/o remembering how really crappy those days could be.
On the other hand, I really don't have much interest in new/better technology and don't pursue it until I realize an area in my life that would be much better if I adopted a newer way of doing things. An example of this is my desire to start running again. I had run for a year but found it to be a real chore and quit. I'd always wanted to run w/music but had no access to music or an MP3 player of any kind. I didn't want to invest the money and time in purchasing an iPod and getting my music all set up so I can now run without a feeling of drudgery but I know that when it's all done and I've got the routine all down, I'm going to be really glad I did it.
So even though I frequently dig my heels in and resist change, in the long run I'm usually glad I did.
I'm wondering what Mrs. M really meant when she started this thread. She seems to like things like cloth diapering and line drying and probably canning foods and gardening and making crafts and clothing and stuff. But I don't get the idea that she is a technophobe or opposed to new tools to make life easier and individual effort more productive rather that she simply enjoys a slower, individualized lifestyle.
Originally posted by Bunnys.
I don't get the idea that she is a technophobe or opposed to new tools to make life easier and individual effort more productive rather that she simply enjoys a slower, individualized lifestyle.Yes, thank you. You summed it up exactly.
Do you classify yourself as a staunch traditionalist?
Never. Words like hidebound come to mind--especially when you add "staunch" to the mix. I couldn't begin to be who I am in a strict traditional framework, at least as I understand the historical context. I'm free to adopt whatever old-timey customs I like, and disregard the rest--"free" being the operative word.
With the help of most everyone here, Jane, I'm slowly coming around. :) You guys are my teachers.
No. I am not a traditionalist. I loved having my own professional career which I might add was not open to my mother's generation. I like things like being able to vote, to be able to control my own fertility, to be able to buy & sell property, etc.
I love the Internet, email, texting, and Instagram. Without modern medicine, I would probably be dead. I have been able to travel and see parts of the world my mother never could. (My father was a Merchant Mariner, so he saw the world over many times.). In my religious life, I am glad that women are no longer excluded from positions of authority. No, not a traditionalist here.
Gardenarian
12-3-12, 4:12pm
No, the traditions I grew up with did not suit me.
I do not like constant change, but I choose to create my own traditions.
Super entries, Florence and Gardenarian! Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Do you classify yourself as a staunch traditionalist?
Well I think you'll know how I'll answer that Mrs. M. ;-)! No I'm not. My innner "Rebel Without a Cause" (except to be an obnoxious pain in the butt) just won't let me. I will wear white after labor day...with army boots! And If you tell me I must have a white wedding gown, I'll wear hot pink...with army boots :-)! So no, most things that are viewed as "traditional" are things I don't adhere to unless they work for me - most don't.
But I don't buy anything newish technology-wise or just because someone says I must have some new fangled thing-a-ma-bob (maybe that's another way of rebelling against the status quo) but if I need something and it makes my life simpler I'll get it. And that's the key to everything for me: simple, easy, reduces time, and is very low hassle and little work.
LMAO, Spartana! Can't say I'm surprised by your post! Your post, along with so many others, is proof, that "traditional vs non-traditional", has it's place and has earned it's rightful spot.
I think I've sort of made myself a traditionalist because I feel so far behind everyone else. For years I used WebTV to surf the internet and didn't want a computer. Now, for six years I've had a laptop and can't imagine life without it. Smartphones overwhelm me and I'm totally clueless about them. Why would I want to be able to check out stars and planets and get directions from my phone? What's wrong with a map?
Digital cameras have ruined picture taking for me. With an older camera, you took photos, sometimes it took a while to use up a whole roll of film. When you had it developed, it was a surprise to see what was on there and it was exciting waiting for them. Now, you take a photo, see it instantly, keep it or delete it. Instant gratification. I enjoy my photos less now that they're on my computer and am a bit worried that I'll lose them all (all are backed up on a disc---don't lecture me that I need more than that). I enjoy looking through them and holding them in my hand when they're printed. I could print out the digital ones but space is becoming an issue.
Guess I've got sour grapes from being behind everyone else.
I also think kids are missing out on playing outside more, being creative with non-electronic things, and learning to have conversations that don't involve texting. Very few people keep track of appointments on paper calenders anymore; hopefully paper books will be around for awhile.
PonyMom: I'm with you to a big degree, especially with the technology. I just don't see the point in putting that much effort into figuring out and learning to use new technology when the old way of doing something was perfectly adequate and in many ways better.
And as far as digital cameras are concerned, I don't even have a regular camera. I could never get into the idea of stopping the moment so I could get out my camera and record it for memory--especially when I have a real memory to record it in. I have traveled to a lot of places all over the place and I've never had a camera with me or taken pictures. But it's not like I didn't go or have forgotten what the experience was all about. I don't see that I'd ever get interested in getting a camera and taking pictures virtually or literally.
No, the traditions I grew up with did not suit me.
I do not like constant change, but I choose to create my own traditions.
+1. I love some of the new technology, e.g., my SmartPhone - it has helped me so much with work. But I love old furniture and collecting pottery from the 40s. It all depends.
Love the new entries!
To help put things into perspective (deeper in perspective), grabbing a cloth and bucket of water (with cleaner), and washing floors, righteous! Grabbing said Swiffer floor-washer from inside closet, and running it over floors, boring. Swiffer, doesn't hold a candle to old-fashioned floor-washing. Doesn't get in all the nooks and crannies, doesn't get into corners, doesn't do anywhere near the job of traditional old-fashioned floor-washing, period!
And THAT, only scratches the surface as to my "STAUNCH TRADITIONALIST" was of thinking.
Ha! I'm absolutely with Spartana in avoiding work as much as possible, so I'd hew to the tradition in my family of employing household help before I'd wreck what's left of my knees crawling around on the floor with a bucket.
LOL, Jane! Had a feeling I could count on you coming out charging! :)
My knees are still great, but as I get older, straightening, after being bent over for extended periods, takes longer.
This summer, during a long weekend when my DH took the young adult kids over the mountains to see their grandparents, I stripped and refinished our vinyl kitchen, bathroom & laundry room floors. They had lost their factory finish, after nearly 12 years, even in a mostly shoeless household. The consequence was that the floors never looked really clean, no matter what we did. Been driving me nuts! Then we had the carpets cleaned, and the side-by-side was too much.
Three days of intense scrubbing with a stripper got them clean, finally. I will never do it again! I am hiring it out next time, as neither my knees or my back were happy about it all. Putting the new finish on was easy, and they look new. That was very gratifying.
The staunch traditionalist would probably have done this a bit sooner than 12 years after the floors were laid! I am thinking every 3-4 years, depending upon wear. Does anyone here have advice to offer about this? What has been your experience with the wear of finish on flat (not shiny) vinyl? We do hope to put in cork or true linoleum floors some day, but neither of us wants to cover over a perfectly serviceable floor just for aesthetics.
Job well done, Redfox! Yeah, about our knees and backs, we're not kids anymore...
Job well done, Redfox! Yeah, about our knees and backs, we're not kids anymore...
Thanks! It is actually very pleasing to have the shiny clean floors back. I love taking care of my home. My DH & I both love home improvement projects, and we've done a lot in the 12 years we've been here. Last night over dinner at our fav pub, we sketched out the new kitchen counters we want to build. They will be poured-in-place concrete, and DH has a colleague who has done this professionally. I am going to learn how! They'll be one continuous counter and sink, so I will FINALLY have a deep enough sink for our large stockpot! And, a grooved drainboard will be cast in, like the old fashioned farm sinks. I am imagining it being graphite gray, a very deep color, with some of my favorite rocks embedded into the surface. I'll try to post my inspiration pic.
That sounds fabulous! Love the idea of the built-in drainboard!!! And the rock idea, too!
P.S. Redfox. Don't forget to add some stained glass to round-off the project! I'm imagining your kitchen right now with a beautiful stained glass kitchen window!
P.S. Redfox. Don't forget to add some stained glass to round-off the project! I'm imagining your kitchen right now with a beautiful stained glass kitchen window!
Oh, yes!
Check this out: a friend of mine on Lopez island...
http://www.eidostainedglass.com/
Here is the sink inspiration:
http://www.trendir.com/archives/mark-concrete-kitchen-sink.jpg
I love the backsplash, though I worry that it would be hard to keep clean...
OMG, Redfox! His work is incredible! Remember how we were just talking about knees and things? Well, my knees just gave-out account the botanical stained glass collection!
P.S. You just had to show the sink inspiration to make me jealous, didn't you! LOL! Absolutely gorgeous!!!
Good point about the backsplash. It's actually surprising how much abuse and mess typical kitchen backsplashes are subjected to regularly. Staining, being the biggest offender.
We do hope to put in cork or true linoleum floors some day, but neither of us wants to cover over a perfectly serviceable floor just for aesthetics.
Hate to tell you, redfox, but true linoleum or cork will require just as much -- in fact, likely more -- maintenace than a vinyl floor. There are vinyl floors available now that have Aluminum Oxide finishes -- the same hard finishes applied to engineered-wood floors to resist scratching. Lino and cork still require you to maintain the seal on the floor, especially in traffic areas. The substrate will last almost a lifetime. But the glossy part will not.
Hey, Redfox... I get the feeling SteveinMN, just showed up to be a party-pooper! ROTFLMAO!
Bad, bad, Steve. :)
SteveinMN
12-6-12, 10:00pm
Hey, Redfox... I get the feeling SteveinMN, just showed up to be a party-pooper! ROTFLMAO!
Bad, bad, Steve. :)
While it is not a skill I associate readily with simple living, my ability to unsheath a pin and burst any bubble, sadly, has few peers.
It's kind of like being a single mom and learning how to manage two toddlers in a store. Not a skill you aspired to for your whole life, but one which has well proved its value....
Seriously, I spent a lot of time investigating flooring -- and we did end up with real linoleum in my rental property. It does wear like iron, but the sheen is pretty low unless it's kept up.
All in fun, SteveinMN, but you know that anyway. :)
As for true linoleum flooring, the nice part about it is, it's natural, made from linseed oil, so no off-gassing (according to the program DH and I watched).
No bubble burst. We'd replace the flooring for design reasons. Like Steve, I research it all long before deciding.
catherine
12-7-12, 12:52pm
Oh, yes!
Check this out: a friend of mine on Lopez island...
http://www.eidostainedglass.com/
Here is the sink inspiration:
http://www.trendir.com/archives/mark-concrete-kitchen-sink.jpg
I love the backsplash, though I worry that it would be hard to keep clean...
Thanks for the inspiration! We keep moving toward the trigger to redo parts of our kitchen. We definitely want to replace the wall oven and cooktop with a range, and we want to replace the counter and sink--I LOVE yours, and DH would, too, because he really wants a low-maintenance, serviceable countertop that won't burn. I'm assuming concrete does not stain/burn if you put a hot pot on it? I love how the sink/counter are one unit. I'll definitely check that out. In fact, there's a great company called Yestermorrow up outside of Burlington VT that has all kinds of courses on different things, and I just noticed they have one on concrete counters. Maybe I'll look into it!
We also need cabinets.. well, we don't NEED them, but they are very outdated. I've checked into refacing them, but in any case, we'll also need a new cabinet once we take out the wall oven. I'm like you--I hate removing things that are perfectly functional and just need a little refreshing.
Thanks for your ideas!
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