In An Ideal World, There Is Order
Now there are rules, rules for a reason. They help maintain peace, ensure a degree of stability and maintain order. This is all good and fine for building civilization for the good of the whole, in fact it can be argued that it is needed for the development of society.
Of course reality is often times rosier then what is planted. There will always be situations and parts of the world where the rule of law is absent. Common laws such as no stealing, no killing, wait your turn, do the ‘right’ thing is something that exists in an ideal world. But what happens when there is complete chaos?
When To Bend (or Break) The Rules
Well I think I know a thing or two about it having traveled through so many parts of the developing and underdeveloped world. Things aren’t always so newly packaged. So in such instances where there are rules but no one is following them, do you be a good citizen and set an example for the heathens breaking all the rules by following them?
Does one stand in front of a tidal wave to tell the water to calm down? Or does one stand in line while people are trampling over one another clamoring for the exit? No you do not. The rule of law is there for when the majority of the population abides by it. Not when there is complete chaos. Think of a society as a sphere that grows outwards with yourself, family, friends, neighbors and everyone else in that order from the inside out.
As law and order crumbles, unless you have a way to get everyone else to look after everyone else (and it is to the majorities benefit to do so) one needs to look increasingly inwards to preserve self interest.
Don’t stand in line and get run over at the exit.
Kingston S. Lim
28th July 2022
San Francisco, CA
Kingston S. Lim 