The Value of Traditions: The Chicken and the Egg … Shell

Edward A. Filene on the Good and Bad Aspects of Traditions.

"Eggshells are good, and every egg should have one. It keeps an egg in its proper place, up to the time when it ceases to be the proper place.

"When that time comes, a conflict may develop between the egg and the shell--the shell doing its best to keep the egg inside, and the egg becoming more and more imbued with the necessity of getting out. ​If the egg is successful in this contest, a more abundant life is possible. If the shell is successful, there's a mess.

"The eggshell in such a crisis, is a glorious tradition, and it can be proved conclusively that the egg could never have become a successful egg without it. Nevertheless, if the tradition isn't broken when it should be broken, the result is a total loss."

​Edward A. Filene, Successful Living in this Machine Age, 1931

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