Who Are the Rules for Anyway?

I promise I'll shut up about the book soon. But I kind of have to talk about it in today's blog due to the backstory.

In case you haven't been paying attention, I just published a book called Title Goes Here. It's a collection of poetry, short stories, and spells. You can check it out on the projects page if you need to know more. But I've been doing a few interviews in connection with the release and other projects I've been doing.

One of my first interviews was with Power Ace Radio, a UK based station that not only features music, but also has a podcast-type show where they bring on guests called PAR Real Talk. The host, Pally, was really great and I recommend checking their stuff out if hearing from random folks about their path seems like a good time to you.

Pictured: My interview if you want to check it out.

PAR has a whole host of links on various platforms, as you really should (even though I don't). One of those is Instagram, where I do happen to reside (and you should totally give a follow). As a part of their promotion, they made an Instagram post with snippets from the interview.

Pictured: The post that inspired this discussion.

Part of this post had quotes that were, presumably, from other parts of the interview. Specifically "There's a kind of wisdom in foolishness..." and "The rules were never made for people like me." One small problem: I never said either statement in the interview and I don't know that I fully agree with either. So let's talk about it!

To get the easy one out of the way, I am unabashedly a fool. Any "wisdom" that is perceived is purely accidental. Though there is a lot to be gained in my opinion from taking a more foolish approach to life, it is, by definition, not a smart thing to do. Calling it wisdom is kind of missing the point. But I can see where this quote is coming from.

The other statement ("The rules were never made for people like me.") is going to take a bit more unpacking. It implies a level of exceptionality that would purport to put me in a class of individuals above the rules while also implying that some (perhaps even most) do not possess this level of special-ness. To make my position clear on the matter: I am not inherently any more special than any other person on this Earth. Indeed, the line of reasoning that "People like me are just special" has been used to justify some of history's worst atrocities.

But this begs the question: What do I think about "the rules" and their applicability to yours truly?

To start, I've made it very clear in much of my work that I have a level of contempt for "the rules" in general. For example, in one of my earliest poems, Literal Insanity, one stanza goes "I suppose we fit the criteria. But who got to write the rules? Why do we call this world sane when all can see that it's cruel?" Heck, a recurring theme of my Instagram is specifically doing the opposite of what signs tell me to do because "there are no rules."

Pictured: An example.

On the other hand, while I don't really practice right now, I'm educated as and licensed as a lawyer. As part of this, I've literally sworn an oath to uphold "the rules" (and I take that oath seriously). I also have quite literally studied "the rules" hard enough that I can insist someone call me "Dr." (but I don't because only asshats do so).

So what gives? Well, apart from just being a hypocrite, I like to think my viewpoint is more nuanced. Here are some thoughts around "the rules" that I hope highlight what I think. Since I mentioned that I'm a lawyer, I feel I need to reemphasize the disclaimer that this isn't legal advice. It counts everywhere, but it especially counts here. Plus, like I said, I'm a fool, so listening to me is not the smartest idea.

1: The better you understand as to why a rule was put into place, the more likely you are to have a valid reason for ignoring it.

Not all rules are made with the purpose of entrenching power or being lame (though, there are certainly a fair number of them that fall into that category). For example, the National Electric Code is in place to, first and foremost, make sure you don't kill yourself. The better you understand as to why a rule was put into place, you'll be better in navigating the spaces around them. If you have no idea why a rule is there, following it may help stave off unintended consequences down the line.

2: Break the rules at your own risk, but know that breaking them is always an option.

This is really what I mean when I say "There are no rules." As long as there is no one stopping you, you can do what you want. The pressure is on everyone else to stop you if they don't like it. Police your own behavior accordingly.

3: Be aware that rules are typically accompanied by an enforcement mechanism of some kind.

There is no shortage of people trying to control your behavior. Indeed, many rules aren't written or enforced by the government. In that sense, it is their duty to enforce those rules. Don't be surprised when they try, but also be aware of the extent of their power. Perhaps they can't touch you in a way that matters.

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As for me? I'm going to keep on living according to my own will. If that bothers anyone I'd invite them to go ahead and try to stop me. I've structured my life in a way that I think they'll find it quite difficult. But I welcome the challenge. ;)

Lastly, to PAR and Pally: It was a pleasure being on the show. Truly. I hope you can accept this in the spirit it was given; I can't think of a higher compliment than including you on my blog with a recommendation. As to the misquote, my understanding is that it is customary to give a retraction in this circumstance. But I'm just going to post this in the comments of that Instagram post so it's there. That should be enough. If the misquote appears anywhere else in your social media, I'd ask you as a journalist to either issue a retraction there or link to this post (your choice). In any event, I hope to see you around and I had a lot of fun writing this one.