Tradition Doesn't Always Hold True

I used to have a lot of nose bleeding when I was younger. I would bleed profusely from my nose whenever I had a minor headache, was hit on the head, or was poked. My father detested being told he was wrong. He taught me how to treat myself with first aid. It entailed closing one's nose, lying down on one's back, and breathing deeply through the mouth, according to him. I could always feel the blood flowing back through my throat and down to my stomach as I did this. My uncle came up to me one day and warned me not to do it again. He showed me that I should gently press the nose, lean forward and apply a cold compress on my forehead. This proved effective as I no longer felt the blood in my throat and mouth. However, when my father saw me applying the new procedure and learned that it was an idea from my uncle, he was greatly infuriated. He said that his “technique” had always been applied since ancient times and it always worked.

I therefore confronted my uncle a second time to inquire why he would defy an old tradition. In his defense, he began by stating the second fallacy, which says that “tradition is not always right”. He told me that people tend to do what they are shown or taught like robots without questioning their reliability. He also told me that the old method was accepted because blood would flow inwards into the stomach and none would spill, hence causing less panic. I tend to think that somehow, my uncle saved my life on this occasion. Since then, I have always questioned the efficiency of any tradition before applying it. I was taught to always evaluate my actions and be responsible for every step of the way. Tradition is therefore not always right.