| No one is trying to impose customs on you, any more than we force the Amish to wear modern clothes, or the Hasidim to shave. One of our traditions is to be accommodating to those who want to preserve their little niches in society, so long as they are not harming anyone. However, it is impossible to have a culture without having underlying values and customs. For example, we forbid private acts of vengeance to reflect a certain view of family honor as subordinate to the duty to keep the peace and observe neutrality in judgement. If we valued family honor more, civil peace less, or cared little for neutral judgment as an element of fairness, we would arrive at different arrangements. Now, whether I know the answer any better than anyone else, I do not know it any worse. What I mean is, our culture has at least as much right to perpetuate itself as any other. Considering the relative humanity of the result, for example, in articulating human rights, democratic institutions, the rule of law, the value of the individual apart from group allegiances, and so on, I should think that you would find our culture attractive and worth perpetuating. If not, I am very sorry..... |
