Who has the right to say if someone breaks the rules? Who makes up rules - I don't want to be told what to do!

Question

Why do we obey people. We should be able to make up our own minds regardless. What right to people have to tell me or anyone else what to do? Governments, ruling bodies - so what - why should I spend my time and effort doing what they want?

Answer 1

Anarchy is a nice idea, but in practice would be unlikely to work. It's fine for someone like you, who seems intelligent and well-adjusted, but what happens when you give free-will to someone with pychopathic tendancies?

A better solution is to have a wider range of regimes under which to live, so we could pick to live under the sort of rules we agreed with. After all, most laws are intended to modify our lifestyle choices which by definition impiges on our free-will. Very few relate to things like murder that everyone in previous answers seem to be banging on about!

The only choice left then is how much your freedom is curtailed.

In my view it is these laws and rules (lifestyle choice related ones) which are my decision and not the governments. I think drugs should be legalised for example. Not because I don't think there are some problems associated with doing that, but because I don't think it's any of their business. The fewer rules a society has the better I guess, but you can't get rid of them all!

Answer 2

There are lots of types of rules, and who gets to decide them and say who is breaking them depends on the particular set of rules you're talking about.

For example, let's say that you rent a room in someone's house. They might decide that you're not allowed to smoke in the house, and that you have to clean the hallway once a week. They get to decide the rules and enforce them because it's their house. If you don't agree with the rules or their application of them then you're free to find somewhere else to live.

For a club or association, generally speaking the rules are agreed between the founding members. There is usually a process which allows the rules to be changed later, with a vote of the members at the time. If you want to join the club or association you agree to follow the rules. Usually the rules say who is allowed to enforce them - often a committee or an office-bearer. If you don't like the rules, again you're free to join another club or start your own.

The idea here is that you are voluntarily agreeing to abide by a particular set of rules in order to get some kind of personal benefit - you are choosing to sacrifice some of your freedom in order to get something in return - a room, or the facilities offered by the club.

In theory the rules imposed by government follow the same idea - it's just that it's an enormous club or society, and you don't apply to join, you automatically become a member when you are born. You can of course still leave (and live in another country), but this is of course a much bigger step than resigning from the chess club. The most significant benefits you get from being a member of this national "club" are that your life, health and property are to a large extent protected (in the days before governments whoever was biggest and strongest just took what they wanted, including sexual partners). In theory we can change the rules with a vote of the members, although in practice our parliamentary system makes this significantly more complicated.

Generally speaking wherever the powers that be (in the EU at least) impose rules, there is actually some kind of benefit to someone, either to everyone or to someone specific. For example "no ball games" are to prevent noise and broken windows. It can become easier to live with rules if you try to see who it benefits. There will still be some which don't seem to benefit anyone, but this will be a much shorter list, and easier to focus on trying to get changed - what's more, if they really are pointless other people will support you.

Answer 3

Edward Lorenz came up with the Chaos Theory. basically it says that there is a pattern to chaos, random events that when analysed shows a pattern.

look at the world around you...."is it in chaos?" if your answer is "yes" why? Chaos has a pattern my friend and man is repeating that pattern every day. rules are made not to enslave but to give freedom for remember that "Freedom without restraint is Chaos."

imagine a football match with no rules or lines of demarkation? what would ensue? the players would just kick the ball and run behind it for ever. there would be no pleasure of seeing the skills used by the players or the trill when they score a goal or the determination to make themselves better and improve after they have lost.

rules govern us to make us better not enslave for the greatest court on earth has rules,

it is not the rules that enslave us or hurt us my friend. it is the greed and lust and prejudices of man's heart that oppresses us. not rules but our own sin that binds us

Answer 4

Anarchy doesn't work well either. It's all a trade-off to get what we want and not hurt others too much. The 'rules' are different and change all the time depending on what culture, country, or group you are with. If you don't want to play by any rules, you will have no friends, and will likely be, (unfairly to you at least,) locked away with other like minded anti-socials.

Answer 5

those in power and control make the rules, and define what it means to break the rules, and what, if any , punishments will happen.
you have a right to decide whose control you wish to live under, or to not live under anyones control at all
you, if choosing to live under someone elses control, can work to influence changes in the rules you dont care for, but you must follow the current rules, you also can work to have others put in control
if you choose to not live under anyones control, you must find a place where you can do that, and be totally responsible for yourself and providing what you need
its a two way street, are you expecting anything from these rule makers? are you in these rule makers territory? if so, then you are not in total control of yourself ,
its like when you are dependent on your parents, their house, their rules
when you get your own home, your house, your rules
if you are a citizen of this country, this government, this nations rules
when you form your own country, your government , your rules
or as i said, you can work within the situation to create change, and alter the rules,

Answer 6

There has to be some set of "rules" otherwise everyone would be living in anarchy.... taking whatever they wanted for themselves.... Riots, looting, mayhem, uproar...
Of course there are laws with sentences... punishments and consequences. There has to be for the sake of society... when we have to live alongside other people (pack animals) there has to be a pecking order.... top dog and underdog.

BUT lets not get carried away. There is freedom to choose. Everyone makes choices. All this "they" business just makes you sound totally paranoid! They are out to get me, etc. The toddler has tantrums when they are two years old and soon learns there ARE rules.... life isn't fair, BUT that is the way it is.

Regardless of what situation you find yourself in, you do have choices. The choices you make are based on your own personal morality and ethical code. Your sense of right and wrong, your sense of fairness and justice. No one can make you do something you don't want to do on some level. You choose to do it... (reluctantly?) but you do still choose.

People CAN ~ DO ~ and WILL try to tell you what to do... that's to do with manipulation! BUT you can choose to ignore them! Choose to think, feel and DO what you want to, as long as you are willing to accept the consequences of your own actions and behaviours.

Answer 7

Oh dear!!!! Another bolshie unthinker!!

You are on this site run by yahoo - they set the rules for those that want to sign up. You signed up and therefore agreed to obey the rules.

Laws in society are there to protect society. Do away with those laws and anybody else is free to rape you, assault you, murder you, take your belongings, etc. etc.

Judging by your question it sounds like you are really talking about parents and teachers. There is hope though immaturity wears off!!

Answer 8

You see in this world there is a wall of one frequency fabricated by laws. This wall is straight most of the time as long as laws and lawinforcers are there to uphold its ingenuity.
You may feel jailed behind this wall.

I have to go to work, to get food, so I can eat, in order to go to work.

I have to have transportation so I can go to work, and pay for that transportation.

I get vacations so I can rest from work, and come back and work better then I did.

I have to go work to buy a house, in order to come home after work so I can sleep in a bed, get my mind off work, and then go back to work.

This is the cycle that keeps the world a turning.
If we all just suddenly stopped doing these things, the wall would disappear.
There are other ways to dent the wall, with out having it disappear.
Breaking a law that is upheld by government of your state. Murder, sexual abuse, stealing, driving on the wrong side of the road.
If you do these things the wall becomes abrupt that wall will not have that same ease that it did.
We are Homo Sapiens (WISE BEINGS) in a universe, and government that since birth, requires us to be slaves. To gravity, to time, to location, to gentics, to ideas, to laws.
We follow these laws so other slaves can be born.
I may have a pessimistic perceptive. I know there are times of pleasure and happiness, but there isn't a high level of it.
If you consider that we have created more entertainment escapes you will notice that the government, is reluctantly moving forwards to a world with out human labor.
We just got stuck in the middle some where Hun.

Answer 9

You have a valid point, but if you insist in living without rules, then don't complain when the rest of the world does the same.

Without rules, anyone could rape you, break into your house and take your stuff, crash your car and not pay you, etc...

We have rules because we humans suck, we can't live without abusing the weak.

Answer 10

For one thing, no matter who else tells you what to do, you should follow your own conscience in anything, and decide whether it's good or bad. People obey other people either because of respect, love, or out of fear. Every human being has the free will to do what he or she wants, regardless of what others think of it.