Traditions

People have had a need to structure their lives within the calendar year. These twelve months had been organized mostly according to the seed-harvest cycle.

Spring time was generally devoted to the seeding as a natural condition to the future harvest i.e. the survival of the people. During the spring a lot of traditions are connected to the fertility and beginning of new life and those additional responsibilities – parenthood.

The Summer time was usually reserved for the harvest and celebration of a good and successful season which in turn give the people a feeling of a secure life.

When Autumn arrives it is traditionally linked with the preparation for the forth coming cold winter. The collection of various resources needed for the cold winter days and nights, securing enough food and warm shelter which usually meant getting the house repaired which would protect the people and their animals from the snow and freezing weather.

Apart from these manually orientated traditions there exists a lot of social or collective celebrations which was used to enforce a unity of the of family, the tribe, the village or country. These activities started as legends, stories, fairy tales and existed in the social aspects of drama and the spoken word which encouraged the generations to repeat every year for a common good.

Traditions are important for us in understanding of our roles or behaviors within the society. Some traditions can give us some great insights to our life’s repetitions and provide continuity during our lifetime. One of the most universally adopted traditions is the one in which we celebrate the joining of two people, which is called the Marriage. On every continent is the passing of a new marriage the reason to celebrate the perspective of the new life which is to be born. This is like this so that the highest level of social and human evolution is continued generation by generation. Married couples are generally twice and more likely to survive a crisis due to the predisposed link with another person, which increases the chances of success. This is due to the fact that they can support each other in any situation that may occur regardless of their own difficulties.

On the other side of our traditions during our long and colored pathway is the certainty of death. Mourning, grieving and the full respect to the families suffering their loss is again very universal across the cultures around our planet. One of the general traditions is to remember those people who have passed away and to pay our respect to their legacy of our heritage and culture.

Traditions are here to remind us mostly of the things associated with our birth, our death or anything between that makes our values stronger because we can enrich them day by day. Our values depend on mutual acceptance by most of the community. Just a few exceptions may occur, and hopefully society will eliminate these individuals. These people may be found interesting but after some time their uncooperative nature will be its very essence make most of the population push them away to the grey areas on the outskirts of acceptable society. There is a case of various clans, communities adoring violence or mass destruction or mad prophets having their own faith where these people may find solice or limited power.

Traditions can also be based on a religion of the people. During the Christmas most of the Christians keep the tradition of the family unity and exchange gifts as symbols of love and respect to each other. These traditions have the power to give us understanding of our own position in life and society.

Traditions may be seen on the national scale as well.

Every nation celebrates its new formal head of the state. It doesn’t matter if this is a President, Prime Minister, King or General Secretary. The putting a person into the heart of the national administration is usually a good reason for a celebration. One ancient reason may be to show this new face to the nation so the social, family or business connections might better establish a reason to foresee a better future. Other important things is to give the new person in change the opportunity to declare publicly his/her priorities and plans for the communities future.

Another tradition for the most democratic states is voting. Once per given fixed number of years the citizens of the nation may use their power to demonstratively select their representatives to the governing structures of the state. We may discuss the legacy, fairness of the voting principles but since the time of the ancient Greeks no one has overcome this principle.

Another part of universally accepted tradition are national symbols as a flag or a crest. Citizens around the globe are educated to respect these symbols and pay attention in their use.

Traditions are here to educate us and will help us to survive. But some traditions may be unproductive by the part of the community adoring another value. When communists took the power anywhere on the world their first intention was to disrupt the long and respected traditions of some generally accepted values and replace them by “their new own” symbols. This action may be symbolized by many single actions i.e. from the replacement of single and universal character of Christmas to the eliminating of the old tradition and respect of the land-owners giving their harvests to the population and community at large. The communist regime tried to unbalance the traditional ladder of values, but in part they failed. It is sometimes impossible to avoid the collective memory stored in some many individual minds and hearts, that a complete change will be meant with a respectful resistance.

Traditions are the vital and important makeup of human nature and culture. Artificial intelligence seems to us as an unpredictable enemy because with the new version of the operational system our smart phones may behave differently to the way we conceive how we feel we need to interact with these new additions to our lives. Computers in general are not acknowledging the traditions from the past as they do not have a history to rely on as to them these traditions are often unproductive. The future of society may start adoring the super efficiency so much so that they may start to recognize the weekend as something to be eliminated. Weekends were created in the days of the manual work for people needed some time buffer between the work days to keep their skills and to refresh. Nowadays when most of the manual work has been given to the machines the time to rest may become another useless tradition.

Computers and machine-learning principles will change our world. In which case will we allow them to change our respected and sometimes illogical traditions to be superseded by our society to become less human and more autonomist very soon. Respect to the traditions makes our world round and understandable to all those that live in it. If in the case our traditions will be slowly eliminated than our value chains will be broken and society shaken to its core. New ideologies which will be developed, new religions which may be implemented must pay attention to the human traditions. Otherwise we will be lost as ships at sea without compass. 

 

 

Manipulation

The use of manipulation is a very old technique on how to push others in the direction you desire. Over the centuries we have developed a dozen types of various manipulation techniques, it might be a use of  bribery (pure monetary or in the form of goods), a better and more effective way up on the social ladder, a more personal attribute of power or a promise of a future income based on the extra non business activities undertaken at the bequest of another.

Manipulation may be seen in business more often aside of a promotion or public relations slogans exists a huge room for manipulations. The modern companies created and developed thousand of products. The industrial cycle is based on fulfilment of the needs (material or non-material). If there is a need to keep food fresh you should buy a refrigerator.  If there is a need to commute on the railway train systems, cars and planes provide transportation systems were invented and put into life to satisfy those needs. Every country of the world is trying to settle the needs and requirements of their population. Manipulation is used by the form of marketing campaigns by companies to assure you which products are the best ones. Manipulation is also hidden behind the masks of independent advisors or journalists.

If the community or society around you are adoring some specific kind of product than you as an individual are manipulated to buying the same product as the others. For example, some specific types of jeans might be selected for a narrowly focused population. In the world exists hundreds of jeans manufacturers but media can manipulate the potential consumers by using easy to remember slogans like “waitresses wearing Levi’s 501 are getting more tips” or something similar. People might remember and they would be inspired by that slogan and manipulated by the social or sexual symbols they want to be associated with, sometimes it easier to fit in than to be seen as different or difficult.

Another type of worldwide manipulation is the political propaganda. States are often creating the bright and shinning picture of themselves based on the idealistic political propaganda. Some countries are willing to pay enormous amounts of money to present such ideal pictures in front of millions of CNN viewers every day. This is not pure marketing only because this is not a presentation of some concrete product or service but a whole country. The hidden message is the following: please make sure even our country exists and take it into consideration when planning your next business expansion or investment. The CNN viewers are manipulated by absolute amazing visual presentations showing the historical heritage and the bright future of presented country with the obvious money values.

Another practical example of how countries all around the world can use the manipulation is in voting. There are huge political and marketing tools behind these exercises. Especially predictions made by structured and carefully selected sample group of voters. Based on the predictive data models the advisors can change the attitude towards the specific group of voters by specialised campaigns and marketing information.

In a corporate business many manipulation techniques are used. The takeover by one company with the similar or same products can be made on to appear like it is a fore gone conclusion this is also part of the manipulation of both companies during a merger or acquisition. In such a situation the Board of Directors can make decision based on more emotional and less logic decisions. Companies can make the joint-ventures in case they are uniting against another competitors. In this case there are “nice-to-have” arguments than a special situation may occur. The company might have to buy another company. It is officially announced to the public and it may affect the price of the shares. The second step is to fully incorporate the newly acquired company into the system and reporting lines. For these reasons is advantage if both companies are similar in size and number of employees. Than it continues in a way of million of corrective steps and procedures trying to merge two incompatible companies. Such joint ventures  or buy outs which are based on irrational reasons without the cold-blood analysis will have a negative effect in the future.

People as individuals or as groups might be manipulated by promises or irrational expectations. Sex, power, influence are the most frequent vehicles for ordinary manipulation. Manipulation is normally used when two negotiating sides are in-equal. Equal sides can negotiate and agree on win-win solutions. But because one side is not having enough power, resources or stability than they feel they have to tried to manipulate the other side. Such kind of manipulation has a form of hidden promises, secret arrangements or secret cash settlements.

Manipulation is not just a carrot and stick. It has many forms and people should learn to recognize it and be aware of it. Children should learn on selected examples how to avoid manipulation because the reason is to protect their inner freedom of mind.

All decisions a human should take must be based on rational and logical arguments. In these case they are replaced by irrational or emotions then the danger of manipulation is very high. The problem is that people often like to be seen in the better light and they act in the way as they think they are expected. And this is a triggering for possible manipulation.

 

Family

From many viewpoints the family is the most important part of the individual’s personality. We may see the family as a small world demonstrating the complexities of the real world. The size of the varying country by country and century by century. The institution of the family in all cultures is based on the one blood principle. People having blood connections created sophisticated relative relationships which is known and appreciated by the whole family. Since the beginning of civilization the blood-based principle was the driving force for ambitions which each family would have. The history of mankind is full of such dynasties based on the one blood principle.

Modern times has brought a different type of influence than strictly “one family principle”. Nowadays people not having the need to fight to create conspiracies or generate dynastical marriages, so they created the need for friendship. Friendship may be seen sometimes more accurate than family connections. Friends are sometime witnessing our deep or open confessions which we can’t say within the true blood family because we may “lost face” front of them. To “lost face” is simply unacceptable for family members which are generally respected by their peer.

One human tribe has even today very strong family connections. This tribe is called Hebrews or Jews. One of their stone solid principle is the family is always more important than state because state may collapse but not the family.

Family is often the source of these basic values, a way of behaving, providing a communication principle on how to react to different situations in life. The family is a point when legendary stories are shared and remembered by all members. The family serves as an example of unity, ambitions and/or prosperity. The family is often a place for own viewpoints, ambitions, openness, mysteries or sense of specific humor. The family may support or devastate their members which are recognized as incompatible with the family moral principles. Murders may be adored or hated within the family because it all depends on the specific situation (Italian vendetta for example). Families serve as circles of assurances or life boats which can save an individual’s life. The most important thing is not to loose the family connections. Everybody should know their own family history because is important to know from which roots the family grown up and prospered. The genealogy is a science focused on disclosure and discovery of forgotten family roots and relationships. In the time of high risks, the genealogy may serve as light house of the traditions and continuity of the family elements.

Families may have their ambitions and how efficient or influential they want to be or which kind of heritage they would like to keep or enhance. Families represent the probabilities which may be actioned or transformed into the individual’s talent or special skills. Families are our inner circles. They should not be perfect, but they should be respected. A person without a family is lost person.

One of the powerful concepts of the communist power was the erasing of these bridges within the families. This started by the creation of pre-kinder gardens, the involvement of kids to out-of-school special clubs where the communist indoctrination often started. The circle of power continued by mandatory memberships within the communist supporting organizations. Along this way just one rule way repeated - communist party is more important than anything else. The Communist separation of family continues in the forms of creating blocks of flats where the physical dimensions pushed the families to separation. Such flats were designed as too small to secure the normal family life. This used to be a main reason for many divorces which were very often. Fathers felt as unwanted or un-respected because they have not been given a chance to claim their own style how to design their own flat. The reason was there were just few types of standard furniture, so all flats were like each other.

The safe harbor for many families represents their cottages or country houses which become very popular in the sixties when communists power strengthens brutally. Old country houses which were empty for dozens of years started to become a new centers of family life. Families were unifying their financial resources, they often combined their workforce to speed up the reconstruction works, and they offered the renovated houses for recreation for other family members. So, the unity of families literally transformed from the cities where families lived separately to the country houses where the families lived according their needs.

Every dictatorship political regime tried to cut off the family relationships because if a person feels uncovered and unprotected by the family ties than the manipulation is much simplier. Families as an institution continues across the centuries without many big changes. The purpose of the family is to generate food, provide protection or help educate all new members which may be born. Family takes care of their members and no one is lost if the family is protecting him or her.

Over the last few decades we have seen the trend when couples live together without an official marriage. This may be useful because “nobody needs a paper to feel happy” but marriage is much more than official certification. It is an official confirmation that the new stability is here and may continue for decades to come. Marriage is not just an official declaration of two people to live together and be happy. It is a symbol that the two families getting two new members which are going to be connected. Families consist from husband and wife and need to absorb the habits and other specifications but first these two people should know each other. In other words, the family circles were extended to be stronger and provide more chances to grow for both families.

The family can be a pleasant place or place of instability or a home of violence. For these reasons the divorce was created. It is not logic to keep two people together if they don’t want to be a family unit any more. Above all religions, traditions or material wealth is the feeling of the individual. Freedom should be given to the married couple if nothing else can be done. As human beings we deserves a happiness and if the cost might be to break in a marriage than this price must be paid.

Nobody is getting married with the plan to be divorced after few years. When is happens it is a big surprise for any married couple, because it was not their original intention. Everybody wants to live happily ever after but sometimes it is not always possible. Divorce is the other side of the marriage. We all should know it. Marriage is also the other side of love. There are the marriages without love, but they are very seldom.

Families are going through centuries as a constant part of human society. Families are learning, cultivating and inspiring their members. Families exist as a form of free will of people to live together in the time of poverty, illness or rich and happiness. Families are here to survive economical, political and sociological changes. Families are sometimes stronger than states and revolutions. Families are our tickets to eternity.  

Books

The human race has very much been depending on the sharing of stories, legends and sagas. The first ancient civilizations captured their rules, their stories and their religious texts in the written form.  It was a stable and constant expression of what was important for the communities, the city rules or the interpretation of that law’s concepts. When the message is written down its modification is hard to exact and its interpretation is universally understood. Comparing to the old wisdom based on the verbal interpretations of anybody can add some side messages to the original ancient story so that the whole meaning may diverted from the original trajectory. This kind of mistake is impossible when text is written in the fixed and stable alphabetic form which everybody understands. Then the likely chances are large discussion may start about the exact meaning of the written text but not about the content.

From the old hieroglyphic symbols to the modern alphabetical systems used worldwide the main obstacle to spread the written texts was the capacity of the production of the writers to make enough copies of original texts.  Most frequent texts were religion and focused so the main copyright was given to the various orders, priests or high representatives of these religious communities. Over the centuries these texts were copied by re-writing and it was slow and time-consuming procedure. This was a main factor in the limitation of the number of available texts for any further use. 

Since the invention of Guttenberg’s printing machine we may see the enormous increase of book production in the way we understand today. As soon as the printing machines and the whole new technology of creating books become commonly known the unlimited expansion of knowledge-based industry started. The authors started to write the books about philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, architecture, engineering and many, many more other subjects of interest. The main purpose was to encapsulate all available knowledge of mankind into the books and protect it against any future loss. The readers started to consume these books and sometimes they prepared their own theories or interpretations. These new books were published and this helped to create the scientific or educational book market.

Another segment of the book industry started when authors begin to create their own stories. Often beautifully used words in the new relationships made these stories known worldwide. Medieval theatre comedies, poets or philosophical studies were showing to the readers with a new found wisdom. It becomes an important cultural heritage of the civilized world.

Nowadays the books are representative of a huge number of types, orientation or language quality. On the bookshelves of the world it is possible to find nearly everything what people have created or discovered over the last few centuries. The books having a lot of additional functions. They not only represent the wealth of the owner they also represent the culture or the personal interest orientation. People may collect and capture books about gardening, building architecture, history, autobiographies or special themes as painting or the art of the war. As mankind can now read there is a huge demand for new stories, special themes or newly appointed aspects of known stories they already exist.

The book itself transformed nowadays into the electronic format. It means that the big and often ugly bookshelves standing in the many living rooms or bed rooms might be replaced by the electronic gadgets enables us to give the readers the pleasure to walk through the story and provoke the imagination.

It doesn’t matter in which physical or electronic format the book exists. The importance is the daily production of books increases day by day. From the enormous book production, the experienced readers should be able select carefully what they would like to read. Somebody is going to be motivated by the name of the author or theme. People love to read Agatha Christie’s stories over and over again because they simply like the way how she wrote them. Some texts become a classic – for example Rudyard Kipling, Shakespeare, Jules Verne or Machiavelli may be known by everybody who claims to be called an educated person.

The history of mankind was influenced by the books. They were the sources of the knowledge, the wisdom, the information, the new political constructions or the inspiration of new ideas. The most important is that people like to read books. Reading is an activity between the book itself and the reader. Patience, imagination and alignment with the presenting story or facts is a vital part of our culture. There are no more needs than a good light and comfortable seat is required. These simple substances can create the wonderful cocktail of sparkling feeling and new ideas which may be materialized. This is a final effect in which a good book may provide the reader.

Books may change an attitude, a set of values, a preferences or a life orientation. Readers may become scientists if the science is presented as a splendid kind of work.  Or they may become doctors, travellers or inventors if the books assured them about their own capabilities. Books are important more than before because on their basis we may still learn about other nations, cultures or attitudes. As more people will know more about the other people than the level any potential conflict may decrease. The enemy is often someone whom we don’t know. We have no information about their capability to accept our values of cultural context. As soon as our values will be known by the others and their values will be known to us than the mutual understanding may occur.

Stories inside of books are hidden treasures which can help us not to be lost from the human trajectory. Every book which is read and understood pushes a boundary of the common human values a bit further. Every pleased reader who laughed or smiled while reading the funny story or has been educated by the book is made a happier or better person because books have the magical power to make us better. This fact which should not been forgotten. A community of happy readers and good authors is a brotherhood of people who like the words and the stories.

In the ideal world the censorship, copyright law, limited language versions would not been existing because of massive use of artificial intelligence. As soon as the translations will be just technical operation managed by computers then the freedom of sharing the stories will be enormous. In such situations people with access to the internet will have the unlimited number of books in any language. Electronic files are going to be messengers of this new type of freedom. The question is if the people currently surrounded by millions of electronic or classical books would not prefer the new kind of entertainment. Google glasses, holography, video on demand or video games are still going to be a books competitor.

As always it will depend on the consumers what they would prefer. Books represent a tradition, long lasting experience and possibility to return into the specific part of the text without the rewind video file. Bookmarks in the classical form are enabling to the reader to cooperate with the content of the book in user friendly format.

Books are here for centuries and it would be a great pity if they will be lost and their traditional status in the foreseen future unknown.

Authorities

Within human society a number of hierarchical levels developed. Founded on the core functions there were always individuals who would become leaders of the army, in the God celebrating services; Churches, monastic establishments or centers of excellence for further learning activities. There have always been several basic pillars of human society. Some people were determined to protect the others against the enemies, other people took care of the wounds, injuries and illnesses. Another group of people would share the teachings of the old legends, stories and “talked” wisdom.

Over the following centuries the original structure transformed into the several types of government, dictatorships, monarchies or traditional tribe-orientated republics. Even in the corporate world these styles can be easily recognized. Companies and business organizations have at least three activity-based streams – the hunters (salesmen) who are responsible for generating the customers, the medicine men (service supplies staff responsible for fulfilling the various needs) and “wisdom – keepers” who are preparing and testing the products and services before their launch to the market.

The today's business reality is far more complex and complicated than the plain description above. We may see the predictors analyse the various trends, we may see the evangelists promoting the replacement of the old features to their newest versions and we may see the gate – keepers securing the stability of the internal processes. All these roles are assigned to the men and women qualified and motivated to do these jobs. Companies are structured by different organizational models which may vary by size, region or type of business. But the most important is the authority aspect of the managers who are having the direct responsibilities for the use of financial, material and human resources.

The authority depends on the way how each person behaves in the communication with the others, this can be passive or aggressive in style. The power of the leaders also depends on the way how these leaders communicate with their subordinates. The use of logic may be difficult sometimes, the use of examples may be distressful so each manager or leader should concentrate in the use of the spoken word, keeping the dialogue simple and plain so it is easy to understand and repeat to others.

This is the fundamental, but most powerful way how to share your own ideas to help inspire and motivate other members of the team or organization. For this reason the managers should be comprehensible so that their speech is straight forward and easy to interpret the easy key messages. The level of loyalty and support from the side of the subordinates often depends on the mutual understanding between the leader and his/her team. This mutual understanding forms the basic roots of authority and allows it to grow with trust and agreement. The use of authority doesn’t mean to use the power because some one likes it but because it allows others to understand the reasons why the power should be used.

What are the possible scenarios? The first example is the situation when the individual understands the aims and goals of the manager while full unity exists between them. The other example is when the individual partly respects the leader’s vision but only visible evidence may be available. The third example is the individual doesn’t understand the manager’s aims and sees that no support exists, no evidence is available and so no coordination is offered because some action steps couldn’t be precisely described in the work environments this could include working instructions or manuals of actions.

In other words it is an important part of the control that the leader can provoke and use the individual interests, skills or professional vigilance to contribute to the overall path of the success. People should like to co-operate with the authoritarian leader. If they are forced to do so then just minimum of all possible outcomes may be delivered. Good leaders should be visible, compassionate, knowledgable and approachable.

This is the reason why the “open door” policy works and is frequently used in many companies.

Authority as a general must be seen in front of the audience. Napoleon, Hitler or Martin Luther King knew this and used it to great effect. Therefore, their personal examples have been so inspiring for others.

One characteristics of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe was a huge barrier between the communist leaders and their nations. Their power was based on the repressions, secret police forces and top-down approach. It was nearly impossible to meet the communist leaders on the streets, during the various ceremonies they were physically present but in the distance from the marching crowds below them. Their authority was based on the fear, evil and unbreakable paragraphs in the constitution. Every year the top prominent leaders made their assumptions how the communist society will move forward but there were just empty words. There were no human connections between the communist leaders and their nations. For most of their nations they were just puppets on the screens because the real leaders representing the authority were elsewhere.

One of the visible aspects of the new post-communist leadership was their vocabulary, communication and skills to present their visions, plans and aims in the most understandable way. The dominance of these “new” leaders depended on their activity, a good visual look and they were not afraid to present on national TV during many different situations. Their authority was based also on the fact they served as examples which people were confronted with and liked to be seen like “them”.

Authority depends on many things such as honesty, inspiration, knowing the targets and the way how the managers treat their fellow team as collaborators and not as slaves or ‘numbers’. A lot of disrespect started in these situations when the people felt the distance, the false communication, the unfair treatment or the pretending that something else other than the people wanted to hear or be listened to. This disrespect of course is also the true opposite of what the leaders wants to achieve. In such a situation the leaders should want to change the attitude, the communication style or anything else that may bring back the interest of their communities.

Napoleon, Hitler or Churchill were in their best moments when the ordinary people trusted then and wanted to follow them not because they were afraid of them but because they liked them.

All future new leaders will need to be transparent in their values and armed with open communication skills it will be important because people like to be confronted with the human element. If people can talk, listen or debate it’s all for a healthy cause.  In case the many organizational layers are between the originators of the message and their recipients than the authority may fall or be compromised.

This is something the authoritarian leaders should avoid at all costs to ensure a successful outcome.