Rules and Regulations

No one likes to be told what to do and how to do things. But in order to live and work in a civilized society, there are rules to follow and regulations to observe. They are necessary to make sure that:

1. People treat one another with respect and tolerance,

2. Businesses are conducted with honesty and integrity,

3. Things are built or manufactured reliably and without hazard to people and environment, etc.

   It is the human nature to take advantage of the weak and the innocent, to find short cuts to save time, money, and effort. We have found that by only bonding and working together, we can then survive this hostile world. So, it is important to control our flawed nature. The rules and regulations are setup to do just that. There are different rules and regulations that permeate every facet of our social life. It is the sign of a prosperous and civilized world.

Workplace

The workplace is filled with rules and regulations that restrict:

1. How and what employee can wear,

2. The working hours and break times,

3. How and what employee can talk about to the customers,

4. How the work assignment shall be performed, etc.

   Repeat offender can lose one’s job. A company can only be successful when its rules and regulations are judiciously enforced. To turn out consistent and reliable products and services to the customer’s satisfaction required discipline and dedication from the employees in addition to a good and sound business plan. The workplace can be stressful and unfriendly, but people put up with its environment for the monetary reward that they can use to live comfortably at home free of rules and regulations.

Enforcers

There are rules and regulations to make sure that the food we eat are safe. The drugs we take are non-toxic, the structures we stay in will not collapse, the money we invest in is under legitimate management, the transportation means – car, train, and airplane – are mechanically sound, the airwave for radio, TV, and emergency broadcast is free of interference, etc. Independent agencies are established to enforce these complex and complicated rules and regulations:

1. FDA – the Food and Drug Administration makes sure that the food are grown and processed properly, the drugs are clinically tested and fabricated properly.

2. SEC – the Security and Exchange Commission makes sure that the publicly traded companies have balanced books and operate legitimately.

3. FAA/NTSB – the Federal Aviation Administration / the National transportation Safety Board makes sure that all public transportation vehicles meet minimum safety standards and low noise and emission requirements.

4. FCC – the Federal Communication Commission makes sure that the public airwave is used fairly, competitively, and devoid of indecent materials, etc.

Animal World

In the animal world, there is only one rule and regulation – to survive by any mean and for as long as possible. Every living thing on Earth has to follow it whether they like it or not. We, the human beings, are no longer satisfy with just surviving and find that to live into old age in pain or without love and friend are no longer acceptable. In the pursuit of a better life, we learn through trial and error that we have to impose rules and regulations of our own to channel our creative energy in the positive directions. Our 7000 years of civilization is a testimony to their importance and necessity. They are responsible in keeping the family together, in making the society as a productive economic engine, and in preventing nations from destroying one another.

Nature’s Rules

Through the rules and regulations, we have learned not only about ourselves but also about Nature’s invisible rules and regulations that keep Earth habitable for life to propagate:

1. No life form lives forever,

2. Every life form needs food to live,

3. No life form is perfect and each can do only certain things,

4. All life forms depend on one another for survival,

5. Each life form performs minor but essential functions to keep the life cycle alive,

6. There is no good or bad, right or wrong; just whatever it takes to keep the game of life going, etc.

   Our rules and regulations started 7000 years ago; they had been and still are being broken and changed. Nature’s rules and regulations started at least 4 billion years ago and they have remained the same all these times. Anything that wants to stay in the game of life has to follow them. The best we can do is to modify our rules and regulations to obtain the maximum benefits that life on Earth has to offer.