I agree with this

Tradition should be respected, so long as it supports your independence of thought and common sense.

And even when it comes to our independent thought we have to be fully aware of the fact that we function within a society that has become more global and interconnected. Sometimes what we take as "independent thought" may collide with societal norms, in which case we have to evaluate if it makes sense to hold a thought or tradition that creates conflict (especially in the case of family traditions).

The story of the king reminded me of a certain dish that my great grand mother used to prepare and she did it separating the mix in two pots. When asked why, she'd only say that that's how she learned to do it. Eventually it was discovered that the reason was because it was a big family back in the days and one pot was not enough. And yet she kept doing it in two pots even though the mix was small and was meant for just a few people.

I think that the obssessive respect some people have for the past or the elders must always be balanced against the pros and cons of perpetuating traditions just because we are said so.

In some countries, for instance people stone women to death for the stupidest reasons or gang-rape them or mutilate them just because that is the "traditional" punishment.

This are some of those instances where common sense was just thrown out of the window.

Like laws, traditions may be just(tifiable) and unjust(tifiable) and we should be reasonable enough to choose when to abide either.