We all feel a kind of nostalgia for a time that existed well before we were born. History books teach us of the trials and tribulations of our brave ancestors, who fought in wars, built empires and did other amazing things so we can live the wonderful lives we enjoy today.
As much as the world has changed, we hold on to certain traditions as if fearful the spirits of our ancestors will get seriously pissed off if we dare let go of them.
In some cases, traditions are harmless and have the benefit of bringing people together, like parades that celebrate a historical date in time. In the US, for example, there is Groundhog’s Day, when a cute little rodent is supposed to predict an early or late spring.
The groundhog isn’t harmed, people have a few laughs, and no one takes the little beast’s clairvoyant powers too seriously.
But other traditions can be outright barbaric and harmful. Some are no longer practiced, others still are.
Many years ago, the Kaulong people of the island of New Britain, just east of New Guinea, once committed to the standardized practice of strangling widows to death. According to the book The World Until Yesterday, by renowned anthropologist Jared Diamond, “When a man died, his widow called upon her brothers to strangle her… she had grown up observing it…
