Could the story of the world be told as an arc from a spontaneous child to a process-driven adult? Not just each person (though that may be helpful as well), but all of mankind’s endeavors, writ large?
This is a tension in every institution, every marriage, ever family, and indeed, even within ourselves: do we follow the time-tested ways, or do we throw caution to the winds and follow our hearts or instincts? Do we pattern our lives after the past, or believe we can write an entirely novel future?
We see it in engineering and art and music and… the list seems endless. Think of new technology and products: New ideas come from inventive sparks that ignite outside rigorous structures. And then, over time, innovation yields to quality control and then squeezing out efficiencies through rigorous processes.
Think of the range of religions – those that stood the test of time often have the most rigorous structures (e.g. Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism), while there have been countless offshoots that had much shorter lifespans. In every generation, the young rebel against the rules and strictures and seemingly-silly rituals of the old fuddy-duddies. And these inspired youth tell us that they, in their infinite wisdom, are uniquely qualified to carefully sift the bathwater to recover any useful babies before disposing of the rest.
It usually does not end well. And yet: innovation and novelty and spontaneity are essential for new things, for all technological and cultural progress. Without failure, there can be no advancement.
Heck, the idea even applies to the Torah – mankind in Genesis is finding its way much as a child who lacks any formal framework does. But after the Exodus, the commandments begin to flow, from general axioms down to specific details of how to manage the entrails of a sacrificial animal. Orthodox Judaism today has an incredibly complex legal code, with any advancement within that code very carefully compliant with everything that has come before. Yet in the area of understanding the “bigger picture” questions, there can be almost-infinite room to come to new understandings. Indeed, every marriage and connection between man and our Creator is meant to be unique. The structure forms the skeleton of the relationship, but we each create our own skin and flesh. Perhaps this hybrid approach is why Orthodox Judaism, thousands of years later, can still connect to the past, but contain a vibrant, beating heart.
In a way, I think successful societies have managed this tension. Societies that are too enslaved to process (Ancient Egypt or China come to mind) stopped innovating, while those that went the Full Monty and threw out rituals and strictures have flamed out and died (we are witnessing it today across the Woke World, in realtime).
I know this is simplistic. But doesn’t it also, in broad strokes, show many of the differences (and tensions) between liberals and conservatives? In a way, the conservative view is Burkean, while Liberals definitely prefer Rousseau: Liberals are all for spontaneity and following the heart, and first order “good” and “bad.” Conservatives, on the other hand, believe in time-tested values and trying to see the big picture, and the caution that comes from knowing just enough about unintended consequences to know that we cannot deliver a predictable future wielding only good intentions.
What do you think?