“If you follow all the rules, you will miss most of the fun in life.” I saw this banner at the entrance of a friend’s house. It made me laugh … and it made me think.
Throughout life, we are subjected to many rules imposed by parents, teachers, organizations, and governments. Some of these rules we obey without question; some we agree with but break anyway; some we feel are unjust; some we don’t even know they exist until we break them.
How do we navigate the jungle of rules and decide which ones to follow? It gets easier once we see the big picture.
There are two types of rules in this world: Universal Rules and Human Rules. Universal Rules are rules of nature (or the quantum universe). They apply to all of us and govern our lives every single moment whether we know it or not. Most of us unknowingly spend a lot of energy fighting against these rules, for example, trying to control outcomes or other people that are beyond our control; focusing on short-term benefits without realizing that the long-term consequence will always haunt us in the future; focusing on changing the past instead of creating the future. However, if we understand and follow these universal rules, we are in coherence with nature and can ride the wave of life like master surfers.
Human Rules, on the other hand, are created by human beings with differing levels of consciousness. Therefore, they have many limitations. They are usually created with one of two intentions. The first intention is the social benefit – to maintain order and protect common interests, for example, safety regulations, traffic rules, and criminal laws. The second intention is the special privilege – intended to preserve advantages or certain standards for a specific group. Immigration laws, admission requirements, trade agreements, and patent laws are some examples.
Both intentions can be good, neutral or harmful depending on the context. Even with the best intention, human rules could be outdated, too general to make sense in specific situations, or subject to too many interpretations. People who create, enforce and are subjected to these rules have misaligned interests. The grey areas (loopholes) offer attractive opportunities which create incentives to keep them grey. In the end, what’s legal and what’s moral are like two circles that don’t always overlap.
In conclusion, Human Rules are inherently limited, flawed, and are often against human nature, while Universal Rules are constant, permanent, fair, in our best interests and absolute. Not a single person can escape. The ultimate way to live life in element and inflow is to follow Universal Rules by raising one’s level of consciousness and cultivating spiritual intelligence.
The path to Teal, for individuals and organizations, is about letting go of flawed Human Rules ingrained in our mind and embracing the Universal Rules that will eventually lead us to Wholeness.
