Some individuals are of the opinion that adhering to societal traditions should be done by the young. Others, nevertheless, suggest that young individuals can freely express themselves. Although both schools of thought hold merit, I personally believe that striking a balance between conforming to the social norms and freely behaving as an independent individual is the crucial key for young people to be well-developed both physically and mentally.
On the one hand, there are some major reasons that many people believe that traditions should be followed by the young. Societal traditions are a set of rules that are formed for such a long time and a precious accumulation of knowledge, cultural values and behaviors from past generations of a country. The young are generally known as inexperienced individuals in many aspects of life ranging from attitude in life, behavior in a good manner to daily communication with others. Without adhering to basic values of traditions, young generations may have a tendency to behave inappropriately in some kinds of social situations, which negatively affect their overall impression from others, decreasing the chance of being successful in their lives and also their future career. For instance, wearing formal clothes on some special occasions is a good choice to elevate one’s image, helping create social connections with other people.
On the other hand, an emphasis on freedom to express and behave is necessary for young individuals’ development and overall enhancement of society as a whole. As an unprecedented rate of globalization and technological advancement has been witnessed around the world, creativeness is considered as the key factor to push forward novel innovations. If the ability to express personal ideas of the young is preserved, there would be a potential damage to adolescents’ creativity. As a result, this tendency can lead to a detrimental effect on social and economic development due to a lack of innovative changes.
In conclusion, despite the fact that there are mixed opinions about whether the juveniles should follow the social norms or behave freely, I believe that it is vital to focus both on adherence to societal traditions and freedom to act as independent individuals, which benefits socio-economic development, cultural values’ reservation and also personal growth.