“Rules, rules, rules, why do there have to be so many rules?” The homeless woman in Maui voiced her frustration while my family was on vacation a few years ago. The rule in quwall sign saying wall that said no smoking within twenty feet. We were on an outdoor patio of a fast-food restaurant. I had just asked her friend to smoke his cigarette elsewhere. He said he would. He understood, but she clearly looked at it differently.
Rules can be an inconvenience
She wanted to do as she pleased. Having to stand in the parking lot to smoke her cigarette was an inconvenience to her. But, on the other hand, I am happy that there are rules to make my life more enjoyable, not to make me suffer because she disagrees and decides to smoke one table over from my family.
Other rules can also be an inconvenience. If you are in a hurry a stop sign can be an inconvenience. But for the vehicle in the intersection it’s important that you stop. If you choose not to stop, you could cause an accident.
We have new signs in our community that say “No right hand turn on a red light.” In California we are used to stopping at a red light and if it is clear we proceed to make our right hand turn. In that particular intersection, most people obey the sign. There are others that choose not to obey it. The rule serves a purpose in preventing accidents, but only if people obey it.
Despite the rules, not everyone obeys them
We are all guilty of that at one time or another. People litter, despite signs that say there is a fine for littering. Some adults make a wrong choice to drive drunk on the road with no consideration for others, who are obeying the rules. As a result, they could crash into an innocent person’s vehicle, possibly killing them.
Driving while texting or talking to someone while holding your phone is against the law, but it is frequently disobeyed. How did we ever live without cell phones?
In the hills near us, there was a day when people were stuck in traffic for hours. This was because of an overabundance of snow and a lack of alternative roadways. Some of them got out of their cars to use the restroom. That restroom did not exist, but was actually on the homeowner’s front lawn. This isn’t allowed, and the homeowners were unhappy and voiced their outrage on the local news. Would you be happy if someone used your front lawn as a toilet?
Homeless people and rules
I worked in a downtown area, where homeless people slept wherever they could find a place. Both on public and private property. One lady chose the front porch of our building. Not only was it her bed, but also her toilet. Homeless people commonly push their belongings in shopping carts taken from a grocery store, without the store’s permission. I’ve had to slow down or stop when someone crosses the six lanes of the main road near my home. People occasionally run or ride a bike, not far away from a legal crosswalk. They seem to live assuming we will see them and will stop for them. Rules don’t seem to apply to them. Unfortunately, their decision to run across the road can sometimes result in their death.
It’s not to say, in any way, that all violators of the laws are homeless. It’s where I see law-breaking on an almost daily basis. And as the homeless woman in Maui found this world to have too many rules, it seems the homeless in my area would agree. Because of their situation, homeless people could be angered by rules that take away what little they call theirs. Even if it really isn’t theirs. There are very few rules set up to protect them. Mainly, the rules hinder or condemn them.
Rules that should never be broken
When you hear an ambulance or fire truck, most people know that you need to pull over to the right. Even if you are on a three lane freeway, you need to pull over to the right if you have a police officer with their red light and siren going because you are being pulled over for an infraction.
No fires allowed signs are there to prevent forest fires. Restricting illegal fireworks is to protect someone from being hit by one, or their house burn down because the firework landed on their wood roof, or a wildfire started. “No smoking within 20 feet” is to protect everyone’s health and sometimes to keep propane tanks from exploding. The sign “No diving in the shallow end of the pool” is to prevent a person from severe injury when they hit the bottom of the pool. “No lifeguard on duty,” is a warning that if you can’t swim, no one will be there to rescue you. These are all safety rules. Safety for you and for others.
There are probably rules with which you don’t agree
A realtor went into my friend’s home and was angry because a sign indicated masks were required. She said she wouldn’t bring anyone to view the house and left. The rule was in place because the homeowner had a health problem. She needed to be protected. It was a small inconvenience to anyone entering the home, but an extreme health problem for the owner. Maybe the realtor was sick of masks due to Covid-19 and figures she was never going to wear one again. In the end she may have lost a sale, because she was stubborn and wouldn’t obey the rule.
However, if you don’t agree with a rule, it doesn’t mean you have the right to ignore it. None of us get to pick and choose the rules we obey, whether we live in a house or on the street.
Why do there have to be so many rules?
Where would we be without rules? The world would be in chaos. Cars could drive on the road at any speed and on any side. Surgeons could operate on you without washing their hands first or disinfecting their instruments. People could take your possessions without any consequences. Or you could go shopping in a store, skipping the cash register, taking whatever you wanted.
If we all ignored the rules and laws that we disagreed with, we would live in a state of chaos. Some days, I see my local world as very chaotic. No matter, I will never say, “why do there have to be so many rules?” Because most of them are made for our benefit. We all deserve to reap those benefits, including homeless people.
Is there a law that you disagree with or feel isn’t benefitting anyone? Let me know in the reply section below. I hope you consider others when you are making choices on whether or not to follow a rule. Have a great day.
