Because Words are Important; Definitions!
I learned, thanks to a close friend of mine, that not everyone thinks of rules in the same light I do. If you’ve ever had a close friend, you’ve doubtless had many such similar revelations. There’s something about being very close to, vulnerable with, and fond of another person, which enables you to see the world through their eyes. You experience first hand the commonly known but rarely believed fact that everyone is different, with an entirely unique mind and way of experiencing an entirely distinct life.
Take rules, for example. To my mind, rules have a power unto themselves, an automatic authority, and exist for my sake, to make my life better if I’ll but follow them. Because I see rules in this light, I call a lot of things rules: the principals by which I live my life; the expectations I set for myself; the habits I want to have, and the ones I want to avoid; the laws of nature, including those recognized by the scientific community, but also those which we are taught by experience, if you’re willing to learn them; and, naturally, the law of the bible. This description probably makes me sound rigid, but there’s another aspect to the way I define rules that balances things out bit: Not all rules have the same result, nor do they have the same consequences if broken. The consequence of sleeping in an extra hour, while both negative and tangible, is nothing like the consequences of imagining that gravity no longer applies to me. Likewise, the benefit of following the rule of taking supplements on a daily basis, while healthful and fruitful in the long run, cannot compare to the benefits of getting sleep each and every night. This creates a hierarchy, a structure which makes a rule-lead life much simpler.
We Get a Choice
Not to say that I’m good at living my life by every rule I know. Quite the opposite in fact. And perhaps some of you take issue with the suggestion that some rules are more important than others, because, as it is said, ‘If you break one, you break them all’. It is perfectly logical to say that the natural consequence of breaking any or every rule under the sun is eternal death. Thanks be to God, who sent Jesus to pay my debt, bringing me eternal life and fellowship with the perfect God of creation! Thanks indeed, for it is not merely one rule that I break, nor is it merely on occasion.
What then, is the point of the rules? Obviously, it’s to show what’s better. We are born into a world of darkness, taught by darkness, raised by darkness, and we wander around thinking that darkness is all there is. You can live a thousand and one different ways and never find something to make your life better. But the fact of the matter is that this world is built on rules, really very simple rules which, if followed and used to one’s own advantage, do lead to better results.
There are rules which no one would dare call oppressive because we find them so useful, like the fact that our feet stick to the planet we live on, we are never in danger of imploding without reason, and the oxygen we need to breathe also conveniently sticks to our planet in exactly the right proportions to other gases like carbon and nitrogen. People like to call these impossibly convenient rules coincidences, and I do my level best to keep a straight face when they do.
Other rules people will vilify, thinking they know better. If I go into any details, I too will be vilified, screamed off the internet by people with all the sense, self-control, and emotional intelligence of a two-year-old that’s been told “It’s nap time!”. Never mind the fact that the natural consequences, some of which can be quite severe, are plain as day for anyone to see. Never mind the fact that the things gained by breaking the rules are ephemeral and fragile, liable to break as a natural consequence of the very rebellion that first created them. Never mind the mental gymnastics they have to accomplish to feel sane when even their own worldview isn’t quite feeble enough to justify their actions. “If the rule is the bad guy”, they tell themselves, “I’m the good guy for breaking it.”
Keeping My Head on Straight
Personally, that lifestyle seems way too stressful. I’d rather just follow a rule and obtain the positive natural consequences thereof. That doesn’t make it easy, mind you. This is simply the prevailing logic of my relationship to rules. If I’m experiencing something bad, it’s probably because I broke rules, oh no, I should know better, let’s make a better choice next time, with the expectation that this will result in better things. Does this thought pattern seem strange to you? Well, perhaps it merely something you’ve never tried before. Everything is strange when it’s new.
Not that I’m saying anything revolutionary here. Really, it’s more a harkening to past wisdom than it is a hope for progressive enlightenment. I think progressivism has been tried, at this point, and the results haven’t been good enough to justify its continuance. Maybe it’s time we relearned how to learn from our forefathers.
With that in mind, here are some rules that I’ve gotten from the bible, from old writings, and from my betters about learning.
I learn the least when I think I know the most.
The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.
The wisdom of man if foolishness to God, and the wisdom of God is foolishness to man.
If I stop learning I start decaying.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
If I’m quick of temper, I’m hard of hearing. If I’m slow of speech, I’m hard to anger.
Why is it that when I’m starving the most, I avoid food?
I guess some people would call these mottos or proverbs rather than rules, or in more modern vernacular, “affirmations”. As I said earlier, I tend to call a lot of things rules. However you prefer to label them, they help me put my head back on straight when I’m starting to get a little puffed up and stupid. I hope they do the same for you.
Interesting points! I agree, but I also think some stupid rules are meant to be broken.