The first opines that “herding woolies is a great profession founded on the principles of the Good Shepherd.” 

“Indeed,” agrees the second, “Plus we enjoy nature, fresh air and open spaces.”  

The third pauses deep in thought and then adds his contribution to the discussion, “Don’t forget the hats!” 

His compadres confirm the observation — “Yep, the hats are awesome!”

Traditions are born of generations of conversations such as that of our mutton-wrangling friends: discussions about meaning, values and beliefs deemed worthy to be codified into customs, legends and shared wisdom. Through time, traditions form a mosaic of celebrations, habits and practices that establish a cadence for a tribe ­— be it families, professions, churches, communities, nations and even boosters of athletic teams.

At their best, traditions weave a common thread through time that advances the group’s cherished heritage. Traditions, unlike fads that live and die on the whims of popularity, have staying power. They are the evidence of deeply held beliefs and convictions offered as stories, celebrations and rituals.

Traditions sprout from the fertile soil of principles. Fundamental truths that inspire, inform and guide choice-making, behaviors and visions of successive generations. There principles are to be treasured, practiced and honored. 

Concurrently, they must be revisited, assessed and pondered to verify their authenticity or deepen their merit through new insights, stories that confirm their value and wisdom born of shared knowledge about negative consequences when the principles were ignored or violated. Just as ancient mariners navigated by the position of the stars, in our time pathfinding is best guided by adhering to timeless principles of truth.

Traditions must also be carefully monitored to guard against the tendency for our habits to become untethered from core principles. I grew up in a tradition of approaching each day with the belief that “the early bird gets the worm.” Solid guidance, to be sure. 

Due to the competitive nature of a bunch of young bucks returning to ranches in our valley, a game ensued to be the first outfit to have their cows fed each snow-crusted morning. The stakes kept getting raised to the point that we’d load hay the night before it was to be fed so we could be the first ones to hit the feed ground the next day. Eventually the cows put an end to our nonsense. Apparently, staying warm under the cover of willows or cedars was a better choice than wandering out to have a bite of hay at 5:30 a.m. on a 20-degree winter morning before the sun had broken the horizon. I imagine those bossies were wondering if their care had been entrusted to a bunch of lunatic insomniacs. In this case, our tradition of an early start had spiraled out of control and, as Baxter Black would have described it, we had “gone beyond the edge of common sense!”

Socrates cautioned against an unexamined life, and that counsel is to be taken to heart when it comes to tradition. The most effective course of action is to examine our habits and traditions, be it hats, weaning protocols or holidays, by asking why. Weighing the current state of practice against its intended value allows for course corrections to steer actions into alignment with true-north principles.

The thoughtful practice of tradition matters because it connects us to the guiding principles of our ancestors; provides benchmarks and lighthouses to navigate life’s journey; and creates moments in which the next generation can be nurtured, instructed and inspired. 

Editor’s note: Tom Field is a rancher from Parlin, Colo., and the director of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.