The problem with rules.
“Any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it.”- Henry David Thoreau
Rules are not eternal. They have a starting point and an ending point, which is contingent on how long the “authority figure” or institution which set a rule in place maintains their standing. Rules are designed to maintain a particular type of order, and to establish a predictable status quo, all in service of the interests of the rule-makers. The rule-makers are people too. They were thrust into this world screaming their lungs out, covered in gooey stuff just like you. If their authority was real there would be something inimitable about them, they would possess some unique quality which would make them indispensable. In reality, this is not the case. Most rule-makers are simply people who were born into a situation of distinct socio-economic privilege. The only thing inimitable about them are the size of their parent’s bank accounts. Yet they fancy themselves to be the architects of culture and society. Merely being wealthy isn’t a sufficient basis for these people to dictate how you live your life, and you being born less privileged isn’t sufficient reason to take their rules seriously. Rules severely limit your ability to find creative solutions.
The artificial shackles of institutional policy, governmental regulation, cultural expectations, and filial obligations can all severely constrain your ability to innovate solutions and optimize your own wellbeing. Authority is an illusion, an illusion reinforced by your adherence to it. When you embrace the freedom which you were born with as an individual, as an equal to all of humanity, then you will see how much the rules you have committed to following have hindered your development. The phrase, “That’s just the way things are,” should never be enough for you. You must demand reasons from those who expect you to follow them. If they don’t have good ones, then you must find your own. The true irony of our predicament is that the rule makers rarely follow their own rules. They design them for who they see as “common folk,” to artificially constrict the range of options, to keep them dependent on their systems, and their over-priced “solutions.”
Your rebellion must be a quiet one. You don’t have to declare anything out loud. You just have to pledge allegiance to your own subjectivity, to the authenticity of your own experience, to you own insight, to your own primacy. I am not advocating reckless selfishness. I am advocating conscientious self-trust. Be open to change your mind, allow yourself to be convinced by sound reasoning, you must, however stand vigilant against coercion. Once you have freed yourself you don’t have to sit around hoping the rules will modernize. You can take action right now to strive for yourself and for those you care about. Always consider the consequences of your actions. Always consider how your choices will impact others, but beyond that, this world is a big playground. Play as hard and as free as you can before recess is over.