By the book

We live in a rule-based society.  No matter how 'free' we think we are, eventually we come across a rule that ensures our behaviour is guided in a certain direction.  Most rules that have any chance of controlling individuals, carry penalties for non-compliance, for example the rule of law.  It's interesting that we tend to think of penalties for non-compliance rather than incentives for compliance, i.e. plenty of stick but no carrot!

Some years ago, I was in a taxi in Amsterdam, which was taking me to the airport.  The driver was a talkative individual and we engaged in conversation.  He soon revealed his political leanings and informed me that he was an anarchist.  He was quite passionate, albeit somewhat dogmatic, about his views, with little tolerance of anyone with opposing opinions.  So I became a good listener, not wishing to upset him and certainly not wanting to miss my plane!  In summary, he believed rules were for fools and individuals didn't need to be controlled by governments to act responsibly.  Interestingly, he was a good driver.  I suppose it is not too much to expect a cabbie to have good driving skills.  But he obviously had no difficulty following the rules of the road.  In Turkey, where I live, driving is an interesting experience.  The rules are very similar to most other countries but many drivers seem to regard the rules as guidelines!  For example, it is not unusual to see vehicles jumping red traffic lights, crossing double white lines, driving without lights at night and even driving against the traffic flow!  Oh and it's quite common to see a family of four on a motor scooter!........without wearing helmets!!  I can only assume that the penalties for non-compliance of traffic laws are rarely dished out and indeed, although I (and many others) are often stopped by the traffic police it is always no more than a documentation check.  So as far as driving in Turkey is concerned, it would appear there is an attitude amongst many drivers that rules are for fools, despite the fact that the official statistics suggest otherwise.  The following stats have been taken from a World Health Organisation report for 2009:

Road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year:  Turkey 13.4, UK 2.86

Road fatalities per 100,000 motor vehicles per year:  Turkey 97.1, UK 5.1

These figures speak for themselves.

Returning to the anarchist from Amsterdam, I think he probably believed that individuals were in a better position than governments to decide what they should and shouldn't do.  The quote from Douglas Bader is apposite "Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men."  Now that philosophy certainly does provide a certain amount of music to my ears, but what about those who, for whatever reason, don't have the wisdom of wise men?  Does it mean rules exist to protect those who don't have the knowledge, experience, whatever, to protect themselves?  In my opinion, anarchy would only have a chance of operating effectively if participating citizens had common values, including broad agreement on what is right and what is wrong.  But that is utopia, not reality.  If we want to strive to achieve a utopian, rule-less society, then wisdom might be the key to success.  Society can't become wise overnight, but maybe a gradual transition from rule-based to guideline-based communities, within an ethos of shared values, might prevent us from becoming mindless zombies!