With respect to manners, societal conventions, and laws where would you fall on a 1-10 continuum, with one being totally defiant and ten being totally compliant? Use my three examples for each category to get you started and then substitute your own examples and see if your place on the continuum shifts at all.
Manners: Do you always chew with your mouth closed? Do you always respond yes or no to an invitation that asks for a response? Men - Do you always take your hat off indoors? Remember: If you can't answer always for all three of these, anything below, or any example of your own, you can't be a "10". Fair is fair.
Societal conventions: Do you always park within the lines? Do you always keep your lawn mowed? Do you always return loaned tools, books, dishes?
Laws: Do you pay every cent of the tax you owe? Do you come to a full stop at every stop sign? Do you make it a practice to never serve alcohol to someone not of legal age?
In my experience, most of us decide which manners, societal conventions, and laws suit us and our relative defiance or compliance for each then follows accordingly. I've never met a single person - no matter how much that person values rules and order - who can't find some neat ways to rationalize some of their rule breaking or order defying decisions. For the record, I'm probably a "5" on manners (sorry Mom), societal conventions and laws. That's right - the solid middle of that bell curve. You?
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
Sorry, I'm not giving myself a numbered rating on your scale. My daily living is a careful and constant balance between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. I like to think of this as using common sense rather than rationalizing. And, so that I may further annoy you, I will state truthfully that I have never received even one moving violation in my entire driving career. Gotta love me, Pat!
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