Being Human: Living with Laws, Rules, Guides and Terms.

I believe there is no other creature on earth that lives by as many laws (rules, restrictions, guidelines or terms and conditions) as a human being. There are the laws of nature. Federal, State, County and City laws – including civil and taxation. Laws of the church or faith that one is affiliated with. The conditions (or rules) of your homeowner’s association. The terms of employment with your employer. The terms of use for using software downloaded from the internet. The rules of your parents – and perhaps the rules others abide by when they are your guests. The list goes on….and if you think about it – it is overwhelming.

How does one really keep track of all the rules that govern our lives? I don’t don’t have the answer, but my guess is that it is impossible. My advice is to keep it simple: keep track of the big rules – the obvious and those that can get you in to big trouble by not adhering to them. Now that I have said it, I am not sure if that is even possible.

The fact is – our daily lives are spent maneuvering and adhering to the many rules that can overwhelm us in life – whether it be consciously or subconsciously. A life without rules (and or guidelines) would more than likely be chaotic and stressful….but is a life with too many rules and guidelines equally as chaotic and stressful? Possibly.

For the record, most of us like a little structure in our day to day lives – and perhaps for the long run. That said, with so many rules, how does one know when they have broken a rule or are living outside of the rules? What if you have been breaking a rule all of  the time and are unaware of your own misdeed? And by the way – who are all of the enforcers of these laws and rules? I think I just overwhelmed myself thinking about it.

So I will begin tomorrow, ensuring that I follow the rules of the road when I am driving to the store. When I arrive at the store, I will be sure to abide by their rules. You know, like “No shoes, no shirt – no service.”  And I will pay with the accepted forms of pavement and follow the prompts on the self serve check out.

I could go on, but I think you see the point. While we hate rules and yearn for a little less rigidity in out world – we create rules ourselves to manage our world and those who access it. So is life easier being a pet – like a dog or a cat? I’m not sure, but there are many rules that a pet owner must abide by in order to maintain a pet.

I think I leave it right there for the moment.