Respect

Tradition for me doesn’t always have to do with the holidays but rather the mechanics of how my family functions, how and why we do the things we do, etc. For this response, I wanted to share one of those instead of something pertaining to a day like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

My dad, being from Asia, is very strict about this and everyone in my family has followed.

Every time we drive by a cemetery or gravesite, we completely turn off the music or podcast we’re listening to through the car as a sign of respect and reverence for the dead. It’s a kind gesture and I like the idea of it, as well as everyone else in my family, so we’ve decided to collectively keep it going.

No one knows that we’re doing it, nothing is making us turn our volumes down. We are doing this of our own free-will, because something has gripped us into wanting to do what we think is right. That’s tradition. That’s tradition in its purest form.

The next time you drive or pass by a cemetery, think about this post. You don’t have to turn your volumes down like we do, but respect those that have come and gone and keep each gravestone you see in your heart. In this way, we can create a tradition of our own.