Because of the people I have known and loved and that have influenced my children, I have had to put thought into the importance of rules and the law.
I know some really good loving people who constantly bend the rules and occasionally break laws.
I have so many conflicting thoughts about it.
On one hand, I can see that laws are made to protect us from each other. Don’t steal from each other, don’t drive like a crazy person, don’t harm another, don’t drink before a certain age…
On the other hand, there is not one human being who hasn’t ever broken a law in their lifetime. Everyone has been over the speed limit or crossed the road where there isn’t a crosswalk.
I can see that people who want to avoid pain, try hard to follow the laws. If we all followed them, it would be great. But none of us follow all of them and instead of understanding, it leads to separation, finger pointing, and shame.
Then I wondered, who says it’s ok to break this law, but not that law?
What I have decided is because of free will, anyone can choose to break a law at any time but the consequences can be painful, and they need to be understood first.
Laws are a part of defining our conscience. If enough people have been hurt by this action in the past that they created a law around it… a law says “this hurts people, don’t do it”.
Breaking the law is not about “getting away with it”, it’s about knowing that you’re taking a risk, and deciding if it’s worth it in that moment.
Laws are meant to protect us and each other…the more harm you would be doing to another, the higher the consequence.
This is how I’m teaching my children.
I’m not defining the person by their choices around the law. This isn’t a bad guy and that is a good guy. That’s too confusing and preachy for me. How do you make the distinctions, and where do you draw the line?
I am teaching them that everyone has a choice, it’s just that some choices are painful and not worth it.