Why rules?

We run into so many of them everywhere. Some we follow automatically. Others we have to think about to make sure we follow and still there may be others we break as they seem so senseless. We wonder why they were ever made.

Each group we belong to has rules. At times they overlap. Other times they don't. For instance we have rules of various religious organizations that tell us not to kill. In the Catholic Church if we break one of these it is a major or "cardinal" sin. Killing is one of these. This is why one finds many Catholics speaking out against abortion and the death penalty.

But wait a minute; both of those are legal...so our government says that killing SOMETIMES is OK?

Another rule we once had during the 1920's was against the sale of alcohol as it was considered"deviate" behavior. Now we have certain addictive substances that are legal and the government even benefits from their taxation (tobacco and alcohol) while other substances are not. Besides the illegality of one and another, does not the addiction still cause social and economic problems due to its addictive nature? Why is one socially acceptable and others not? Some say that Tobacco is the American Indian's revenge on the European. Others say that economically fruit and grain products could not be preserved and transported for sale before refrigeration without transforming them into an alcohol, thus being in a preserved state. Did this lead to a more socially acceptable practice? Even various religions have taken different views on this.

We have other rules too that some see as important and others don't. Take animal confinement for instance. Some would take the position that a herd of cows would be destructive on a neighbor's lawn or out on the road in traffic but that same person would not think twice about letting his dogs run free, wreaking havoc on other's gardens and animals as they aren't thinking from the stand point of a gardener or livestock owner. The state of Indiana indicates that it makes no difference what the species as any have the potential to destroy other's property.

Then we also have rules of our workplace or school. Tardiness might be forgiven at some places more than others. Smoking is allowed at some workplaces still while employers are becoming more aware that its practice reduces production in actual time and healthcare issues. Will pure economics become the purpose for the rule or will the health of fellow coworkers be another reason for a smoking ban?

Then we have the athletic team and other various groups such as scouts and 4H. One coach will say no soda pop during the season and all need to come to ten practices in one league, while other leagues have no such restrictions. Scouts make an actual pledge as do 4H'ers to follow covenants of their group. How many actually pay attention to the words..."On my honor...."?

Then there is the family unit itself. Some families seem to have a lot more rules than others. My children remind me of this quite often. Why is this so? What drives the need in some families for beds to be made each morning, or time in the shower, or ones vegetables to be eaten before dessert?

How do we reconcile our religious fervor with the rules of our country, our state, our school or workplace, or even our families, when we are members of all of these "organizations"?

Why are the rules important when we are part of the group? Can we really switch hats without losingsome of the benefits or causing others to suffer by our not following the rules? Does following the rules themselves send a message that we respect others and recognize that rules are important to someone even if they do not seem important to me personally, whether it be our fellow coworkers, our neighbors, or some unborn child we might never meet?

Then there is the example we set when we are leaders of that social unit. Parents, teachers, law enforcement officers, politicians, even priests are looked upon even more as role models to follow. How many are looking at us and getting the message that rules are only important if they mean something personally to ME. Don't worry about following them if you don't understand their importance to someone else. To quote a school administrator: "...we must follow and enforce rules for two primary reasons: [1] to increase our ability to ensure everyone's safety, [2] to protect the interests of the school. It would be great if we did not have to create and recreate rules, but the reality is that not every students/staff member has the same level of respect for others, common sense, nor awareness of consequences. It would be great if everyone had the highest levels of integrity, honesty, safety, and concern for the wellbeing of others, but this is simply not the case."

Is this not true of every group to which we belong, whether religious, national, or private family? We have rules because they support the groups' structure and insure the safety and well being of its individuals.

We all are guilty of breaking rules at times. Some of them are bad ones and "civil disobedience" then sends a message too. Sometimes we just live with the bad ones as having no rules would be a lot worse. We at least need to ask ourselves what our actions are saying to others. What do you think?