Last week, we talked about how custom formulated. In the last blog, we discovered two means by which custom was created. However, as time flies, some custom may go weaker or even disappeared. Why? How do they go to an end? It is thought to be a toptic worth thinking.

From my point of view, there are also two means by which custom could be ended up. One means is driven by trend which shows a strong advantage to the people. One hundred years ago, car was new to the people of the US. They had been using horse-drawn carriages for everyday transportation. Suddenly, Ford Model T ran into people’s eyes. For its faster speed, affordable price and more convenient fuctions, it soon took over the place of horse-drawn carriages.  It is not hard to understand, because the advantage of a car is huge enough. Another example is the trend of automation. It is more and more obvious that before long, robots will take the repetitive kind of jobs from people’s hand. Why? Robots can do it quicker and better and cost less for the business owner. That is the big advantage of robot making it an unstoppable. On the flip side, we could also say that when the custom brings disadvantage, it is likely to be ended voluntarily.

The other means controrary to the first one is by force. In other words, force to end a custom. Though it is not a compelling way, it is more effective than ending by trend. It is like being in a college you have to follow the college’s custom or rules that is for exemple getting enough grades. One day, the prinsipal of the college levels up the grades so the undergraduates need to get more grades in order to graduate from it. They have no options other than obeying the custom that the head of the college has set. It is obviously more effective to change a custom, but it is also more prone to get reversed because it is sometimes against people’s will and people’s will lasts longer than a temporary authority or force.

By discussing this, we can figure out how customs exist and end. It can be clearer to see how it works. There are some bad customs still followed by a certain people, which need to be stopped.

All my hope is this discussion may do some help.      

(Opinions of the writer in this blog don't represent those of China Daily.)