Are you familiar with the Swiss Guard? Formed at the dawn of the 16th century, these mercenary soldiers have protected the Vatican (and lots of other places, though they only exist at the Vatican now) with great honor and ceremony. It is the anachronistic ceremony that fascinates me. The Swiss Guard does not exist merely for aesthetics; these men are trained soldiers. Yet, their billowy, multicolored uniform is essentially unchanged from its original Renaissance form. They still carry pole arms. Why? Why hasn’t it been modernized (well, one assumes there have been some practical changes) like every other military uniform? What was it that froze the progression? I use this example to lead us to my real topic. How do ideas evolve? Why do some ideas stop?
It appears to me that ideas, if allowed to run their full “life span” if you will, progress through 4 states: an innovative state where an idea may be popularly viewed as anything from revolutionary to nonsensical to heretical; a traditional state where the idea is accepted as a part of the status quo and may even be revered; a sacred state where the idea becomes publicly inviolate; and an antiquated state where the idea may again be considered nonsensical or even sacrilegious. From science to art to religion, this progression is clear. That the sun revolved around the Earth was once a revolutionary idea. The gods of Olympus were worshipped for centuries (if not millennia) by the Greeks and were later adopted (and altered a bit) by the Romans. Nothing moves through the progression with greater velocity than art (I think we’re post-post-post modernists now).
In order to evolve, innovative ideas must do something counter to innovation. They must become static. Tradition demands stability. Birthday cakes, white wedding dresses, family reunions, Christmas trees… even neckties and pantyhose… are all innovations that have become well excepted, essentially unchanged, cherished parts of our lives for reasons most of us either don’t remember or never knew at all. But why?
Perhaps it’s because innovation is difficult. Perhaps it is because innovation often requires zealotry to gain acceptance, and zealots, while admirable in their dedication, are often dangerous, impetuous, and terrifying. Perhaps it is because we enjoy a bit of stability in our lives. Since the Renaissance and the industrial revolution, human life has been in unceasing flux. My mother’s father bought a brand new Model T Ford. My father bought his first television long after he returned home from World War II with a wife and child. My son will tell his children that I didn’t have internet access until I was in my mid 20’s. We rely on tradition to help us to remember what was good about our history and to fend off the frightening, constant change (finding a theme, are we?) that floods our contemporary lives. Some ideas, those we find the most comforting, the most satisfying, the most secure, become sacred. These ideas are also the most dangerous, the most destructive, and the most difficult to overcome.
When an idea becomes sacred, it forces a resistance to innovation. New ideas are shunned. Flexibility and adaptation are abandoned. Change is not merely discouraged, it is abhorred, and those who would bring change are often ridiculed, sometimes persecuted, and occasionally executed for their beliefs.
Nothing remains sacred forever. Copernicus discovered the heliocentric solar system, the old gods were thrown down… even human sacrifice and cannibalism are mostly frowned upon now. Antiquity is the home of the flat earth, the druids, prohibition and female circumcision. It is where once cherished ideas go to wither. This is often a painful, bloody process. Zealot against zealot, the war for sacred status, for the new paradigm, is costly. Innocence, idealism and faith are usually among the casualties. Is the change worth the price? Absolutely. Without the emergence of new ideas, humanity itself would wither.
What ideas do you think are ready for a change in status… either from innovation to tradition, tradition to sacred or sacred to antiquity? Do you think acknowledging that sacredness is a human construct might be helpful in advancing the cause of innovation or is it merely divisive?
Jack Bronn was born in Illinois, raised in Florida, misses his home in New Hampshire, dreams of living in New York, and resides with his wife and son in North Carolina. He writes.