Rule Followers

Last week, I had eye surgery to try and keep the pressures down in my right eye and it was quite an unnerving activity. The nurse asked me a ton of questions if I had followed the instructions about medications, and other preparatory assignments. I said yes to all of the questions and I told her that I even wrote them down on my calendar which meds to stop taking the week and even day before the procedure, as well as when to stop eating and drinking (water, guys, water). She was amazed that I did all this and told me: “I like that you follow the rules.” And I thought to myself, “Why wouldn’t you follow the rules in order to expect the best outcome?”

As the IV went in and I drifted to a dream-like state, my thoughts wandered. They led me to the drug-induced thought process about rule following, chaos and order. In the end I posed the question to me and now to you:  “Is being a rule follower a good thing?

Henry Adams once stated that “Chaos was the law of nature. Order was the dream of man.” Henry Adams. The Socratic Method

In an online article on The Socratic Method website, the author states that “…order is the dream of man highlights our inherent desire to impose structure upon the natural world, asserting our authority over the wild and unruly elements of existence.” The article notes that order is a human construct. Each of us desires order but the order we know is limited by our understanding of the world. Thus our sense of order is subjective, and needless to say, different from the next person. And that person may think us chaotic. Our culture defines who we are and what we think is right.

Order and chaos aren’t necessarily opposing forces, but are interconnected and shape our world. If different voices chime in and each gives their perspective, randomness of chaos may eventually bring about order or a pattern. Each novel idea becomes codified by the masses, and organization or order ensues out of chaos. Rules are made and most people attempt to follow them.

“Henry Adams’ thought-provoking quote encapsulates the eternal struggle between chaos and order. While chaos may be the inherent law of nature, order remains the dream of man. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that chaos and order are not opposing forces but intertwined elements within the tapestry of existence. Chaos brings forth creativity, innovation, and the boundless possibilities of life. Order, on the other hand, satisfies our need for structure and predictability in an unpredictable world. It is in the delicate balance between these two concepts that we find the tapestry of life’s beauty, where chaos and order coexist in a harmonious dance, forever shaping our experiences and understanding of the world.” The Socratic Method

Chaos is inevitable in our lives and we can’t always keep it from happening. We follow the rules and sh*! happens. And yet we persevere and attempt to follow the rules of society the best we know how. However, having reflected on this topic, I have one more subject to broach:

The books I have been reading of late are a wakeup call for what is happening on our planet and the people who live on it – the fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other violent weather. It is a frightening thing to know our children and ensuing grandchildren will suffer the consequences from our actions. We can’t fix everything, everywhere all at once, and it will take many more generations to solve the devastating actions of this current administration. But we can leave the people alone who are trying to study, understand, and predict things that will harm us. We need people who can jump in during disasters and help out and study the problem in the aftermath. [No more cuts!] So, yeah we can passively listen to that idiot in office blame the democrats – but HEY! you idiots in charge – you are the ones cutting all those folks who keep us safe. It’s a sad day when we don’t understand we need people who understand science. We need people to warn us about climate and ensuing weather caused by the warming of the planet. And, yes, we need services to help those who need help. (Thank you Mexico!) Chaos will ensue on innocent people and they will die when you have uneducated people in charge before order is restored. All I am asking is for everyone to think about what is happening in this chaos and take action to create harmony. People who work in supportive government agencies aren’t the bad people. People currently in the high office are the ones who should be accountable for all of government’s failings. We need to think about our future before deciding that all of this is okay. Enough said.

And here’s a big shout out to the Monarch High School young men who cleaned my trash bins today! Excellent work and your prices were reasonable. Entrepreneurship in Action! I am recommending you to my fans! If you want to book a cleaning go to their website: https://www.boulderbinscleaning.com/

I love you all and thank you for standing up and helping your neighbors. Keep spreading the love!