TRADITION VIS-À-VIS INNOVATION: A QUEST FOR SAMANVAYAM
As I sit down to write this introduction against the background of the existential exigencies that everyone of us has to grapple with in balancing and integrating elements of tradition and innovation, without losing sight of the resourcefulness and ingenuity that everyone of us is blessed with, it becomes obvious that the task at hand is tough and demanding, on the one hand, and pressing and necessary, on the other. Human social existence is found to be a mixture of tradition and innovation; while some are happy to settle with whatever is given, there are others who let go the given, and look forward to completely new domains on their own. These positions could be identified as two diametrically opposed views, which many a time may be too difficult to be identified among actual human beings. For, in most of the cases, we will have a mixture of both tradition and innovation: that is natural to human beings. A close observation would, however, indicate that some of us have a stronger swing towards tradition or, in some other cases, a stronger swing towards innovation. As no human being will be a totally isolated individual, none can be completely innovative, without having any given element. So also, no living human being – with a minimum amount of self-reflection – will be completely traditional; for, all are vested with some sense of innovation inbuilt into human nature. For reflecting and innovating human beings, change is a welcome fact; human life and everything organically related to human life are so dynamic that nothing would remain the same in the succeeding moments, except those that human beings decide to retain without any change.
Tradition is important; it is the given that has evolved through the collective search of humanity (in smaller or larger groups); what has evolved as a tradition is usually that aspect of their lives which has stood the test of the times or what has been identified as the best in the human experiment from one or the other spatial or temporal context. As any individual is placed within the bosom of a human community, it is the tradition that offers the primary ambience of socialisation and cultural rootedness. When a tradition is the given, emerging from another natural or cultural context, the individuals who are initiated into it, who also share the same dynamic human nature which makes them equally innovative, need not consider the deposit of tradition as definitively final and categorically fixed. Tradition needs to be understood in terms of a deposit and its dynamism; any valid tradition needs to be seen as constantly evolving, dynamically and organically. There is no call for a slavish submission to any tradition, especially if the tradition has emerged out of another spatial and temporal context. Nor is there any need to resurrect a dead tradition of a bygone era or a long extinct system of society; a tradition is dead or a social system has become extinct precisely because they have been found unfit to respond to the emerging life situations in the present. To the extent the new – and changed – space and time call for adaptation and revision of the given, humanity has to respond with renewed dynamism and determination to evolve new patterns, which would eventually establish new traditions, which is expected to make the lives of those new members more meaningful and relevant.
Conflicts and tensions would be naturally part of any process that initiates changes in the traditional paradigms. Many a time traditionalists resist change as it is found to be unpredictable in nature; as such, those who initiate change do not have any clear idea as to what evolves in the course of time. However, if charismatic leaders are involved in such a process, it would be highly probable that they would facilitate the transition from a stagnant traditional structure to a more dynamic realm, which would be validated by the involvement, presence, and animation of the charismatic leader; even if what evolves initially is not compatible with the traditional patterns, it would get acceptance and acclamation, provided these changes are initiated amidst those who subscribe to the ideological positions proposed by the charismatic leadership.
It is an everyday experience that human nature does not settle with the absolute certainty that is either assumed or claimed. The human quest for absolute certainty, which is found among almost everyone at various moments in life, seems to be met with a simultaneous abhorrent attitude against absolute certainty, especially if it is projected into the future. Although it seems to be an anomaly that these contradictory positions are found to be concurrently present within the same human person, it is indicative, on the one hand, of the human quest for certainty and, on the other, the quest for inventiveness. Even when authoritative proclamations are made by individual philosophers or scientists, or even by systems of political structures or religious organizations, human spirit keeps exploring the unseen and the unknown. The few instances where absolute certainty is claimed or affirmed shall not be taken as determinative of the future, but as a necessary determinative step that would affirm whatever is known, given the context and tools, which shall facilitate further deeper understanding with a direction, not necessarily valid for all times to come.
If human beings are not creative, if we do not have an inclination to create and innovate, then a dynamic human culture will be an impossibility. In fact, most of the human beings are creative by nature; but some are unwilling to tread the demanding and difficult route of creativity and innovation; as long as one remains unwilling, it is quite likely that he or she would settle for the safety of traditions, but by capping the creative spirit with which he or she is naturally blessed with.
In the case of an innovative position proposed, it is not enough that those who adopt it make some cosmetic rearrangement of their previously held positions; while some rearrangement would always be called for, there are certain situations which would necessitate not only discarding certain extinct worldviews and meaningless practices to make room for the new. While some of the previously held positions will have to be discarded, those who subscribe to the newly evolving vision will have to find new meanings and new relationships, which does still provide room for the old as well as the new. The arrival of the new, however, necessitates the old to be re-valued and re-arranged as per the logic of the new; indeed, this calls for a dynamic approach, which in certain instances would turn out to be quite revolutionary.
There is need for an ongoing transformation in any human endeavour or institution, as the human ingenuity is something that is beyond a total and permanent capping. There is a necessity to provide more flexibility into the human systems – be it the state or the religion – in order to address the rapidly changing human dynamics in the form of social attitudes, cultural diversity, and religious plurality, brought about by the postmodernist methodologies that are being ‘absolutized’ in the globalized world. Many an acclaimed leader, teacher, or guru, basing on the personal charisma, tends to innovate in such a way that they seem to evolve, in the course of their personal lives and the movements they initiate, a new dynamism, which would surpass the appeal of the original doctrine they seem to inculcate. The past is determined; the present offers innumerable opportunities; and the future keeps unfolding by generating infinite possibilities. Given the presence of these within human life – individually and collectively – there is a need to blend and converge tradition and innovation with charisma in the context of a globalized world. Despite an antagonistic dynamism seen between tradition and innovation, a true charismatic person will succeed in blending these antagonistic poles into an integral whole.
There will be an ongoing tussle between the institutional authority and the charismatic authority; if the latter succeeds in circumventing the forces of the former, it would depend upon the former’s ability to initiate innovative solutions, without totally losing the sense of continuity, to those institutional problems that have already been identified and targeted by the enlightened ones.
Humanity usually operates upon a number of divergent patterns and paradigms; this attests to the fact that human ingenuity does not follow a single string, but follows multiple approaches in their search for truth and its ultimate realization, be it in the domain of personal or societal life, political or religious sphere, or scientific or faith approach.
There is, however, a need on the part of these innovators not to lose sight of the central message, the foundations, in the processes of aiming at innovative transformation. It would be a mistake if we do not distinguish between the central message along with the core values and the extrinsic structures through which the message and values are transmitted. While the foundation is constituted by the central message and core values, which should not be neglected if they are organically integrated into the ongoing life, we should have the readiness, courage, and sagacity to constantly evolve their extrinsic structures and expressions, as the latter has to evolve by being open to the emergent dynamic reality.
As even that which is definitive makes room for further exploration and understanding, we need a constant dialogue between tradition and innovation so that the human quests can be positively facilitated. Exploration which is necessarily part of any innovation invites those who dare to explore to see the unfamiliar in the familiar, and infuse new ways of understanding and meaningfulness. It is natural that the society at large may not find an exploratory attempt to be completely acceptable; the general public mostly operates upon the familiar domains and seeks the comfort zones, involving the least amount of risk. However, those who explore deeper recesses of reality and higher domains of meaningfulness should be ready to experiment whenever certain aspects of their innovative explorations within smaller groups, the members of which will have a mindset that is akin to the new realms that are opened up and a positive inclination for the same. Once these experiments within the smaller groups are found to be successful and practical, it could be extended to a larger group and, eventually to the rest of the society, by way of sharing or disseminating the newer, possibly also the proven aspects among them, through a gradual process facilitated through various methods of education and initiation.
The beginner’s mind, which is to be formed and transformed through various methods of education, is said to be more open and exploratory. Education, whether formal or informal, should aim at the development of the right perspective to remain creative and innovative. The methods of education which often tend to be merely instances of indoctrination should, therefore, be resisted, as they will only make people accept aspects of tradition as if unchangeable, as they are said to be dogmatically validated so much so that no further questioning, change, or even exploration would be possible. Indoctrinating educators tend to do more harm than good to the upcoming generations. Instead of catering to the innovative spirit of the younger generation, which would pave the way for further improvement of the existing traditions and to establish newer traditions and broader horizons, if required, methods and institutions of education that are intent on initiating the scholars into the ‘given’, ultimately become tools of suppressing the creative energy of humanity. Education proper shall not only initiate the wards into the age old values and traditions, but should also enable them to invent the creative spirit within themselves which equip them to create anew approaches and systems as and when their encounter with various dimensions of reality would call forth.
While education would make room for inventiveness, it should primarily provide for a proper grasp of the essentials of the culture and tradition into which all of us individuals are placed. Any education that does not provide for the foundations runs the risk of an edifice that would crumble down sooner or later – depending upon the power of the vested interests in manipulating the existing system for the perpetuation of their own good against the common good. Although all the human edifices are to be brought down through eventual natural and, especially, human processes, a total disrespect to and rejection of the foundations would make any system unstable and unreliable, which may not succeed in imparting any sense of direction to the individuals in their search for truth. In fact, any authentic tradition is the vehicle of the truth that has been identified and celebrated by a group of human beings in a given context and timeframe. Some of their realizations will go beyond the spatial and temporal boundaries, inviting the subsequent generations to see that there are certain elements which must be bequeathed in making the life in another context more meaningful. The decision regarding which would become meaningful shall not be decided, however, by the bygone generations, but by those who try to live out their lives in the subsequent times; as the cultural living milieu would change, the patterns or paradigms that offer meaningfulness would also change. So, it shall be the prerogative of the new generations to decide upon the validity and meaningfulness of the content of a given tradition. In an attempt to make certain aspects meaningful, the new generation will have to be more inventive.
Flexibility and open-mindedness are two necessary characteristics of a person who is ready to innovate. It would also call for discarding certain methodologies and data that had been relied upon in the traditional paradigm. Education should provide an ambience not only for initiating human beings to the existing traditions; as every student is blessed with ingenuity and the dynamism for self-exploration, educational systems or processes my make room for instilling an open attitude, which would eventually enable them to venture into those unseen and unexplored domains of human existence. If education facilitates openness on the part of the scholars, it will become a dynamic institution in contributing towards the humanity being led to greater heights of accomplishment and deeper sense of abiding meaningfulness.
Some are oblivious of the past, too obsessed with future, and impatient with the present. When it comes to the formulation of a system of life, the past cannot be totally neglected. Then, the purpose of being rooted in one’s tradition is for the sake of growth by extending oneself beyond one’s givenness. Any edifice is to be built on foundations; however, the edifice is definitely more than the foundations. The innovations should resonate the dynamic elements from traditional foundations so much so that the innovation as such does not become a creation out of nothing, but an organic and synthetic development from the past, a true samanvayam (integration) of the creativity of the past and the creativity of the present without completely closing the creativity that would emerge in the future.
What we need is a determination to integrate memory and desire so that we will not lose track of the avenues through which we have been traversing and developing as a society; at the same time, we will not let ourselves sacrifice the ingenuity of the newly emerging human beings and the generations to come. Memory definitely gets shaped in the form of traditions. In many instances, it is the best – or, at least, the better – that is spontaneously identified as worthy to be bequeathed to posterity, which eventually establishes a tradition. As long as the worthy elements are integrated together the tradition will not only give us identity, but will also facilitate the forward movement along the creative lines. This latter aspect can be accentuated provided the interest of the present generations is heeded to, without yielding to the whims and fancies of the wayward and the rigidity of the old-fashioned and redundant. The considered desires of a group of human beings, many a time animated by one or the other individual/s, can be seen as setting the stage for opening up new avenues of creativity and widening of new horizons of innovation. The integration or samanvayam of tradition and innovation that I advocate here is nothing but our readiness to strike a proper balance between the best of our memories and the best of the considered, but the emerging desires of individuals and communities. As these desires poise us to be immediately in the present and to project ourselves into the future, it would make the new thoughts and expressions as relevant and inspirational so much so that they would offer creative direction to live out the life in the present, being definitively prepared for the future, yet without losing a dynamic contact with the past.
It is with this intention of creatively integrating the spirit of tradition and innovation that the Association of Christian Philosophers of India (ACPI) involved in a serious deliberation during its 2010 annual gathering. The deliberations were facilitated by a number of researched essays presented by the members of the ACPI, which are now collected in the form of this edited book, aptly titled Tradition and Innovation: Philosophy of Rootedness and Openness. Various issues pertaining to the integral relation between tradition and innovation are grouped, under three major thematic titles, such as (1) Philosophical Foundations, (2) Religious Application, and (3) Social Critique. The systematic discussion that ensues in the following pages offers a creative blend of tradition and innovation, which is a fundamental quest on the part of human beings, both in their personal and collective search for integrity and authenticity. While tradition offers the matrix of identity, stability, rootedness, etc., innovation points towards the avenues of openness, creativity, and dynamism, both the sets necessarily emerging from human exigencies that are so diverse and evolving.
The unique matrix of Indian Christian philosophers that has facilitated these reflections points to the fact that there are infinite possibilities in attempting to integrate tradition and innovation in the given context of India where these Christian thinkers try to live out their lives and philosophize. An understanding of the contributions made by the Christian philosophers of India, especially under the auspices of ACPI, exhibits that a proper samanvayam between Indianness and Christianness would set the most creative canvas and provide all necessary vibrant colours and other ingredients, including the innovative imagination, to paint a dynamic and lasting picture of Indian Christian philosophizing, rooted in both Indian and Christian traditions, but standing out into the emerging horizons of the new era unveiled in the contemporary dynamics.
Tradition and Innovation: Philosophy of Rootedness and Openness is not ACPI’s final word on the integration that should take place between tradition and innovation; however, these essays offer us a number of paradigms, which may be adopted by anyone who would seriously take and respond to both his or her given sources and the creativity with which he or she is blessed. As Indian Christian philosophers would continue to deliberate – individually and collectively – I am sure that new paradigms would evolve, paving the way for a greater and lasting integration of tradition and innovation, opening up the dynamic avenues for ongoing philosophizing, which must necessarily remain rooted and open.
Invariably, every human being is simultaneously placed and regularly partakes in a number of traditions. As these traditions would initially set the tone and texture of one’s horizons, no living human being shall completely and exclusively be submissive to the dynamics of the given, as he or she comes of age. It is not ideal to live exclusively out of the given deposit without in any way making one’s own contributions. It is a human need to anchor and to soar high. Let the human search for samanvayam between tradition and innovation dawn on us every moment, so that the unquenchable thirst for integration be realized in the guidance of that Spirit which bestows sagacity and ingenuity in all.
Dr. Saju Chackalackal
CONGRATS SAJUACHA!
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