Processes and Rules – why were they formed initially? Further to the realization that no two human beings are alike, processes and rules were introduced to bring about standards and ensure equality. To ensure people would act in a certain way to achieve a certain result. To ensure that people can expect and follow some standards in the systems, in the products and the services, that they buy and sell. To ensure equality to all forms of humans! In short, it was a desire to establish the perfect society.
Processes and rules are not acceptable to all. As time went by, more and more people started ignoring processes. Some started to question. The former had to be disciplined and the latter had to be shut up. Laws were formed, thus adding the dimension of punishment to rules. Those on the bad side of the law would receive punishment with irreversible effects. This generated fear in the minds of the people. And suddenly people decided to follow the rules.
Talking of laws, if there is an ultimate law in the universe, it is the law of entropy. Laws started becoming more biased towards individuals or groups in power, which would automatically brand the others criminal, sometimes from birth. History has witnessed several consequent genocides. Suddenly, the world decided to have democracy and laws acceptable to one and all. Back to the start, but evolution would never give up. Today all democracies uphold law: but with major differences in principle – to the extent that one style serves as humor to the other.
On one hand, we have India and some Asian countries which you could name in the same breath. Laws are formed, but the human mind is bent on finding loopholes and exploiting them. The ones who form the laws themselves leave the loopholes in such a way that the loopholes are invisible to the average public eye, but can be exploited by themselves to the extent that no law can hold them guilty as long as they are in power. Their successors also follow suit to benefit from the loopholes. In the long run, the predecessors and the successors reach upon an unwritten mutual agreement of silence, paving the path for a long era of corruption.
On the other hand, we have the west. Rules are followed to the word – at the expense of common sense. Uncle Sam leads the crazy list: A car owner successfully sued the car company after an accident, claiming that it was not mentioned in the manual that the steering wheel should be used for direction control. A woman successfully sued a hotel after she slipped over coffee which she had herself spilt on the floor minutes ago. Europe is not far behind: In one of the countries, the fines for traffic violation are proportionate to the individual’s income for the previous year. An unlucky entrepreneur, who had just sold off his company the previous year and registered a high profit, had to pay more than a hundred thousand euros for a traffic violation. In another country, even the Pope was (unsuccessfully) sued for not wearing seat belt during a public rally. And the best for the last - A beggar was fined 125€ for “stealing” disposed food from a bakery dustbin, which is considered as private property.
Today, the basis for creation of rules and laws itself have been forgotten. In man’s strive for social perfection, something somewhere went missing!
January 13, 2012 at 11:51 am |
yes . i agree.