The Pros and Cons of Social Rules

 (Updated: May 20, 2024)

Ever wondered what the world would be like if all the etiquette rules in society simply never existed? It is an interesting thought, because as I ponder this, I'm becoming aware that some of our perceived reactions to not having rules might only occur because our current rules suggest they should.

For example if anyone could say anything, in any format they wish, one may presume that the churchs of the world would have a field day. The jerks themselves may think this too. But then is that because of conditioning and perhaps repression. Once the person has said everything they wanted to say, would the"jerk" run out of steam? It would be interesting to see the resulting person. Kind of like peeling an onion, and as they peeled their way toward some emotional level, they might discover a great deal about themselves.

Now, to be clear social rules do have their place. They help define what is expected of us as a society. But in doing so, they take away some of the work which should be undertaken by every individual, and that is to get to know themselves. Blindly following any rule or edict without understanding its origins and purposes is never a good idea. To truly live, you have have a life where learning is always going on. I think this can only be explored effectively by going outside of the rules and evaluating if they work. This paragraph itself could turn into an entire lecture series .😀

If we were to remove all social rules for let's say six months, it is likely there would be several phases:

1. First everyone would say everything and presuming we didn't kill each other in this first step, this would go on for a bit. An outpouring of attitudes, reactions and proclamations. But after a while it would wear down as people ran out of steam.
   
   
2. The second phase would probably expose all lot of motivations and other hidden issues, which society and people individually could begin to consider. And maybe reevaluate.
   
   
3.  Coming out of this, and of course this is my own opinion, maybe society would find that it is not so much "the rule" that is important, it is the understanding of why it was put in place originally. Most importantly with this understanding comes the responsibility to make decisions about the " rule" and take action. Whether that be a decision not to follow the rule, or to modify it, or just to follow it.

I find that there is a tendency now days for people to adopt rules verbatim and not really understand the basis for them. It is not enough to outright rebel or outright acquiesce. The most important thing is to understand why the rule is there in the first place. And take full responsibility for whatever action is deemed necessary.

So yes there are Pros and Cons to social rules. But moving forward I think it is taking responsibility about the decisions made and not so much the label or the rule that must take precedence in all our decisions.

Have a great day everyone Patrick

** NOTE: Some of pictures in this article were generated by Ideogram AI.  As a layperson, I have read their relevant "terms of service" and determined, to the best of my ability, that the image may be viewed by the public.  However before any reuse, please review fully their terms and if necessary contact the company for more information.

The use of said image does not imply any affiliation or endorsement.