Nowadays, people believe that it is no use in trying to keep traditional skills and ways of living alive once the technology in a country develops. However, I strongly disagree to this notion because traditions remind individuals where they came from.
To begin with, today’s advance in technology did not progress in just one night. It took scientists a long exploration to come to this level from the traditional way, and if we don’t try to keep our traditions alive, there might be no more recognition of the history of our technologies. For instance, there are various methods to create fire that people from the past used. One of them is by banging two stones together to create sparks or a wooden drill rotated rapidly against a wooden base to generate heat. As time pass by, with the knowledge of technology, people are introduced to lighters, a lighter typically consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid.
Secondly, there are numerous ethnicities and diversity in a single country. By keeping traditional ways of living alive, traditional arts that are often passed down through generations like batik-making, wood carving, and weaving in Indonesia expresses the cultural identity and creativity of the locals. For example, you can find skilfully carved patterns in Indonesian’s traditional masks that are often used in many traditional dances. These masks allow performers to have identities and characters from demons, animals, or gods. Another example is puppets or also known as Wayang, puppets have been used for centuries in Indonesia to tell the famous ancient story of the Ramayana and the Mahabarata.
To conclude, changes of lifestyles caused by the development of technology can not be avoided, but these advancement should not be the reason why traditional skills die out.