Have you ever thought about the social rules we’ve been passed on? We usually integrate them in our thinking, in our life, without questioning. They are supposed to make us get along better, or, at least, that is the explanation at hand. However, when you start thinking about these rules, analyzing them, they appear in a different light – lots of them only separate us from one another, in rigid unnatural conformism and uniformity.
Some social rules are useful, especially when understood and used with compassion and genuine care for others, but there are also numerous rules that don’t apply to everyone, rules that hurt and even kill – in body, mind, and/or spirit. There are endless should‘s and must‘s, and, although they may make sense when applied theoretically, in practice, they are often straining individuals, disconnecting them from their own selves and their sense of self-worth. External rules don’t always resonate with our inner self, and going against ourselves to impose the rule is not beneficial. Silencing the voice inside leaves no resources for true self-knowledge and calm self-acceptance.
It’s not a question of rules or lack of rules – that debate is endless. It’s a question of balance, in which you become the rule and the rule forms within, closing a circuit that allows for both inner and outer peace. A person is both an individual and a social being; an equilibrium between self and society is achievable.
We often seem to forget that when one is content, happy with his/her self, rules are useless. Character, social integration, quality of community life, they all come genuinely from a person’s happiness. Your inner peace will silence you to calmer, more focused, empathic, less judgemental attention to the people around. The more aligned you are with your self, the better your relationships with others. So, be your own master, choose, make up, and implement those rules that really make you a better person, not frustrated and bitter.