Lawfulness
”the quality of being in harmony with a system of rules”
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a complete nerd for following the rules. Mainly because I learned very early on that if you don’t follow the rules, you’ll get in trouble. Along with that I was also a PITA (pain in the ass) when it came to enforcing others to follow the rules.
As a kid I was called bossy…I just saw myself as someone who knew the “rules” and made sure everyone else knew them too and followed them. One year I was designated as the school bus monitor…making sure everyone behaved themselves…I even got to wear a sash. I was in my element. Everyone hated me.
Now as an adult it’s a lot more challenging for me to tell people they’re not following the “rules”…they don’t want to hear it and I don’t want to be attacked (verbally or otherwise). People not following rules (laws) is a major trigger for me. I see it as people being inconsiderate and disrespectful of the rest of us. It brings up my resentment of unfairness: I’m following the rules, why aren’t they…what makes them so special that they don’t feel like they have to follow the rules.
Of course as I write this I also realize that if I’m being triggered by it, it’s because I’m not facing how I may not be following the “rules” (mine or someone else’s). It could also have something to do with injustice, something not being fair. Just off the top of my head, I’m reminded of how as a kid, I had to do housework, but not my brothers. I’m going to have to dig deeper on this issue.
Well this took a weird turn. As a general rule (pun intended), I like rules/laws because they create boundaries…without them there’d be utter chaos. My biggest issue is when people break the rules with an attitude of entitlement.
How about you? Is lawfulness a core value for you?
BTW…here’s what it looked like to begin with:
joyfully,
Maureen
The Mandala Lady
inspiring and encouraging creativity, curiosity, and play through the art of mandalas
About the 2024 Mandalas of the Day
Each day I will create and post a mandala inspired by one of 366 “value” words chosen randomly. The objective being to discover for myself which ones would best represent my core values…and by doing so, I hope it inspires you to determine your own.
Mandala of the Day 