Self-discipline and Law

I value self-discipline, but creating systems that make it next to impossible to misbehave is more reliable than self-control.

- Tim Ferriss

 

I don't quite agree with this quote, but it reminded me of something about law that we hate.  It's draggy, imposing and how we wish we didn't have all those dreadful laws to obey....

This quote strikes at the heart of the problem with societies regarding law and freedom.  We want an idealistic society where everything is peaceful, safe and beautiful, where there is freedom to do things you want to do, say things you want to say, where there is harmony and no contention between people, etc.  But how do you create such a society?  It will only work if everyone is self-disciplined enough to abide by the same rules and self-disciplined to say the right things all the time and self-disciplined to do the right things all the time.

Simply put, if everyone is self-disciplined to pick up garbage if they see it; and clean up after themselves so they don't leave any mess for others to clean, we would have a clean city.  But if people do not do that, we need to put laws in place to ensure that they learn this rule.  And if laws are put into place, correction measures must be put in to discipline anyone who disobeys.

Disobedient people come by 2 ways: the lazy ones who try to take short cuts when no one is watching and the unenlightened ones who do not understand the reason for such laws.  In other words, laws are unnecessary in a society where everyone is self-disciplined to keep the rules.  (Rules can also be seen as culture or ideals inculcated into the society, that tells apart an enlightened, cultured and learned society vs a society where people live in anarchy.)

As such, people in power often need to take a 2-pronged approach to maintain the society: teaching and promoting the ideal culture and appealing to people's better natures (let's all keep a clean environment for everyone to live in comfort and disease-free); and imposing laws and sanctions for to deter those who may disobey (if you are caught littering, you do correction work or pay a fine).

Such rules must be simple and fundamental and what the majority wants, or everyone will not follow it.  Also, if the people in power (parents, governments, teachers, etc) neglect the former - educating the people - they will have to sanction a lot of people who do not understand why such laws are needed. Too much of this and they would have a revolt in their hands (especially if they cannot justify to the people why having this rule in the first place is necessary and beneficial to everyone).