It is popular in our times to deride tradition. We like to think that we are emancipated from it. This really means that we are convinced that the recognition of tradition, the entertainment of its knowledge, will inhibit our desires, will constrict the free play of our egos. In fact, traditional knowledge offers a means of relating self to existence beyond the requirements of physical appetite; it provides a guide to vital participation. Tradition is not the only knowledge, but it is an immensely formidable variety. . . .