As I asked my students this question, “What is the importance of rules to social beings?” Everyone thinks of an answer. Some students said, “It is because we need to avoid being punished by older people that surrounds us”. Other students said, “We are beings, living to abide many rules to protect us from dangers”. Seems that my students knows very well what rules are. Everybody in class gave their reasons. Below are some of the importance of rules. But before that we must define what rules are?
Rules refers to one of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a particular activity or sphere. This are directions concerning method or procedure, as for a court of law, legislative body, game, or other human institution or activity. judges’ rules. play according to the rules (“Rules”, n.d.). Rules tell us what is and what is not allowed in a particular context or situation.
Rules are beneficial to social beings in various reasons:
- Rules help to guarantee an individual certain rights and freedom. Our society needs set of rules for the people to know their rights and freedom. In our country, the Constitution govern the people. Whatever rules, rights and freedom written in that constitution, the citizen of the country must abide with it or else they have to face whatever the corresponding consequences of their actions.
- Rules protect social beings by control or supervise behavior. We are controlled to behave in a certain context or situation.
- Rules play a critical role in achieving something close to a harmonious society. The presence of a set rules make it clear to everyone what they can and cannot do. It avoid or limits conflicts but rather allows peaceful settlement between people.
- Rules produce a sense of justice among social beings. Rules are needed in order to avoid discrimination or domination and exploitation. Without rules, there will be power control of those people in authoritative positions over an ordinary people.
- Rules are essential for a healthy economic system. Without rules, especially in businesses, power would centralize around monopolies and competitiveness of the system. Rules are needed to ensure safety of employees, properties, intellectual properties and products.
To sum, rules play a critical role in our society. Without rules and regulations, society cannot function soundly. Rules are necessary to protect the greater good. Even the freeist societies ought to have rules to follow in order to avoid conflicts, domination and exploitation.