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Innovation and Tradition ...

Wednesday, Oct 12, 2016. Innovation is very important to us. Why is it like this? Since most of the things we use today are generated and produced based on innovation. We change things, trying to make it easier, better. We try to gain insight and influence the world. This includes new medicine, it includes heating for buildings, it includes cool air in the hot summer, it includes light, travel, communication etc etc. We need innovation. But what is its relationship to tradition? Tradition is also very important. Without picking up what we have learned, innovation would not be possible.

Tradition …

Key things in our life are give to us by tradition. We all learn language - from the first day of our life this process starts. It is tradition. We learn to receive love from our parents. That is tradition. We learn to do good. It is given to us, passed down through the generations. Let us listen to Hebrews, Chapter 13:

1 Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. 4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. 5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (from Hebrews 13)

We learn a lot from those who had faith before we came to believe. We learn from their life, their experiences. We learn from what God has done to them and with them. It all adds to our own experiences, our own life with the holy spirit.

Innovation …

Of course, we do not stand still. We are in a process of change. And with this, also our insight into all what is passed on to us will develop further. It will not change the basic insight, as God is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow. But we learn more about our world, and this gives us new perspectives on all we have known for a while already.

Innovation needs to be developed. It is not something which would contradict faith, but God himself is the creator, the creative, the most innovative of all of us. He wants us to continue to explore this world - it is part of his original command to mankind. So it is no wonder that we have the desire to explore, to do, to go where no one has gone before! We feel the desire to do science, we are urged towards innovation, by all what we are.

Innovation is an interesting process. It often starts with very little, with some small idea, some feeling that this could lead somewhere. Then, usually, it starts to grow, and when we move on, it all becomes very clear, even trivial. Why did we not know this before. Often, looking back, you see it everywhere popping up in the past. Yet, it was unclear a while ago, but now, it can be seen by everyone. This is how innovation works. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts