Instah > Featured > What is with all the rules?
What is with all the rules?
One of the first words an infant soon to be toddler hears and certainly learns to say is, “NO” and “don’t do that”. It really doesn’t matter how old you are, where you live, what culture or religion you grow up with there is always the “rules”. We have the “DO NOT rules”: Don’t touch the hot thing; don’t stick your finger in the outlet; don’t dive in head first; don’t smoke; don’t run with scissors etc. We also have the more positive sounding rules that usually start with “always”: look both ways before you cross the road; fasten your seat belt; dress warmly and in layers; wash your hands well and so on.
So what is with all these rules? Rules, regulations, set of laws, policies-they are everywhere in our lives, in school, at work, on the road, in our communities, in our cultures and religions. There are the biggies: do not kill, do not steal and the small ones like washing your hands before meals and every where and for every thing in between. From birth to burial (yes there are rules about that too) we are plagued with rules and laws. Why? Oh can you hear your Mom’s reply in your head now “because I said so”. Well, the real reason for the vast majority of rules and laws is safety. Yes, safety, who knew?
You won’t get much argument from anyone about the harmful effects of a burn from touching a hot oven or tipping boiling spaghetti sauce off the stove. As children parents seem to have a rule for absolutely everything. From crossing the street to playing with matches or putting a sack over your little brothers head to not swimming alone or putting your helmet and pads on to ride the skateboard to getting enough sleep or standing still for a vaccination, fastening seat belts, sitting in the back seat or eating vegetables. All designed to keep children safe from injury and illness. It is in our DNA to keep children safe and sound as they grow and learn. And all learning is not necessarily experiential. Most parents will not test the theory that touching a live electrical wire will kill you. The whole propagation of the human race, helping the young live long enough to be adults etc….tends to take over when it comes to rules, safety first.
So, what is the deal with rules, laws and regulations as adults? Haven’t we learned those many lessons as a kid? The simple answer is no. There are many more complex rules and regulations to keep individuals and communities safe too. An obvious rule but none the less complex process is never start a nuclear war. This is a large societal rule-something about once it is started it most likely will destroy the entire planet. Another complex yet obvious rule is: don’t share your sexually transmitted disease. It seems evident but we have entire health departments dedicated with helping those who don’t seem to understand why that might be important.
The other answer to why do adults need more rules or regulation etc… repeated is because for brief periods of time in our adult lives we tend to think that rules and laws etc do not apply to me! My favorites are stop signs and speed limits. Both traffic rules are designed to keep the majority of people safe. Those EXIT and take the curve at 25 mph speed limits are actually tested and engineered to have 99% of all vehicles accomplish safely. Slowing down for conditions which are covered in the traffic rules book is for safety. It is not the driving on ice that counts it is the stopping that does! If we all rolled through stop signs or charged yellow lights we would be forever tied up in really bad traffic messes. The rules are there for safety and ease of movement.
Don’t stand on chairs (rolling chairs in particular); get a step stool is a common safety rule for all of us at home or at work. This should be a “daaa” rule for us as adults yet I knew a 63 year old woman who was wise and smart with her accumulated years of experience who decided it was safe (it will only take a minute) to stand on the toilet tank in socks to hang that window drape. Seven broken ribs and three months in the hospital later she remembers why that is a rule. Let’s see 45 seconds to walk to the kitchen to get the step stool or three months in the hospital-which makes the most sense?
What’s with all the rules? Safety! From toddler to aged adult-they are flung from every possible angle in our societies to keep us safe. We are taught them through that shouted “NO!” by a parent, by experience and by example. A parent who wears a seat belt and actually stops at stop signs is likely to have a 16 year-old who will do the same. So go ahead-follow the rules: cook the chicken to 160 degrees; keep the speed limit; don’t stand on chairs; don’t use tobacco; turn on the lights to walk through a room; lock up the medication and the weapons; don’t drink and drive or mow or boat or bungee jump; don’t kill or steal; get vaccinated; have that mammogram or colon check. The person you save may be you or someone you love or someone you have never met. Be safe.
Related posts from Past:
