Building a Lawful Society, One Person at a Time
Most people understand that having a lawful society is critical to the health and wellbeing of everyone within the society. If people’s actions complied with this belief, then there would be no lawbreaking, but that clearly isn’t the case. Why? Because people have a tendency to think that laws don’t apply to them, or that their offense is so minor that it doesn’t matter.
This article takes a look at the most common reasons that people break laws in their daily lives and tries to explain why even these minor violations need to be avoided so that we can all enjoy living in a lawful society.
Excuse #1: I’m Merely Bending the Rules
Sometimes people who engage in relatively minor violations of the law explain that they aren’t “breaking the law, but rather “bending the rules.” This is similar to the excuse used by people who justify dishonesty by saying that they were simply telling “a little white lie.” However, a lie is a lie and a law is a law. For the most part, the laws that affect your daily life are straightforward and you can easily identify whether your actions are in compliance. If parking is not allowed in a particular spot, but you choose to park there anyway, you have broken the law. It doesn’t matter how quickly you’re planning to move your car or how urgent your need is to park there. The parking regulation was put in place for a reason and consequently you have an obligation to comply with it.
Excuse #2: Following the Law is too Expensive or Inconvenient
Following the law is often expensive, time-consuming, and inconvenient, but that’s no excuse for not doing so. Sure, it may be tempting to avoid reporting all of one’s income and instead pay for something under the table, thereby avoiding taxes, but this would be wrong. Take the time to do the transaction properly, reporting it with the rest of one’s income, and paying the appropriate taxes. It may be unpleasant, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your actions are helping to build a lawful society.
Excuse #3: It’s a Silly Law
Another common justification for lawbreaking is that a law is pointless, unnecessary, or silly. But what seems unnecessary today mattered to society enough in the past to have become a law, and therefore it must be followed. Many people cross the street in the middle of a block, because they believe that laws against jaywalking are pointless, especially if there are no cars coming. But regardless of whether the reason for the law is apparent to you, it’s important to comply with it. If the law truly has no merit, then you should contact the appropriate officials to learn what can be done to get the law off of the books. But until that happens, it is your responsibility as a productive member of a lawful society to comply with the letter and spirit of the law.
Granted, the examples cited in this article are not going to convert society into a group of lawbreaking thugs, but these minor violations do put society on a slippery slope that easily devolves into widespread lawbreaking and chaos. So the next time you’re tempted to “bend the rules,” justify a violation, or decide not to follow a “silly” law, remind yourself of the importance of building a lawful society – and that doing so requires that all of us comply with the law.
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