Rules of order are essential in every society. A society without rules is like a moving vehicle with no brakes.
Order!!! The judge shouted to reduce the level of noise in her courtroom. The trial must go on despite the disdain written on the faces of those in the public gallery.
How did we get here? She thought. Someone broke the rules and got arrested. The genesis of these disorders today. Our society needs order to survive, just like we need oxygen to live.
Imagine a society without rules, everyone is free to do as they please and damn the consequences. People are free to drive as they like on the highway, businesses are at liberty to conduct their affairs as they deem appropriate and financial institutions can withhold your money without fear of being sanctioned.
Maintaining order is a must if we want our society to thrive. It is also important, if we want to live in a peaceful environment, one we can confidently leave for our children and their children.
What then do we do when this dream is thwarted? What happens when disorder becomes the norm in our society? What happens when we are jarred back to reality?
In this article, we will be shedding light on the rules of order in society and the consequences of disorder.
Rules of Order in the Society
Rules of Order are basically the written and unwritten laws that guide our existence in society. These laws exist in the constitutions of different nations while some are general, unspoken rules of conduct.
They guide our words and actions and how we relate with those around us, leading us on the path to right or wrong, to maintain law and order in society. Fostering a level of decorum in the way we live our lives and perform our duties.
Rules of order in society span different areas, such as
1. Ethical Principles
Ethical Principles focus on having respect for those around us and acting in ways that will not cause harm to those around us. It entails being fair in our judgement of matters, free from bias and behaviour that will truncate justice. Maintaining rules of order requires us to be honest, and show compassion, courage and transparency always.
2. Cultural Principles
Culture is the way of life of a group of people. With this foundation, we can say that cultural principles differ from community to community or from one country to another. For instance, South Koreans bow when they greet each other, but this practice looks weird to someone from the United States.
Furthermore, apart from the differences in everyday life, embracing cultural principles entails imbibing the cultural practices of your workplace and immediate environment. This will help in ensuring order in society.
3. Unwritten Standards of Behaviour
Unwritten standards of behaviour exist everywhere. Like opening doors for the elderly, maintaining your position in a queue to avoid chaos and saying the five magic words when necessary. This contributes to making the society peaceful for all.
4. Religious Principles
From a tender age, we practice the religion of our parents. This happens before we are enrolled in school. We start getting familiar with the dos and don’ts in our churches, mosques, or, as the case may be.
Religious principles revolve around practising spiritual values, which are instilled in our respective religions, being compassionate towards one another and showing love to each other.
Consequences of Disorder
We have nothing to gain if there is any form of disorder in society. Rather, it affects us directly or indirectly.
1. Breach of Contract
When there is disorder in society, contracts are broken and agreements are not kept between partners, friends and even family members. This is especially experienced when both parties don’t go into a written agreement at the start of their negotiations. These breaches can give rise to different forms of conflict.
2. Conflict
Conflict occurs when a disagreement between two or more parties isn’t properly managed. This leads to heightened emotions which can in turn lead to violence. Great wars have begun because two individuals didn’t settle a minor dispute. Marriages have broken apart because two persons didn’t sit down and settle an issue that wouldn’t have led to a divorce.
This contributes to disorder in society when children from broken homes become miscreants and society suffers.
3. Economic Instability
Conflict breeds economic instability, where stock prices fall and small businesses are forced to shut down. Economic instability causes inflation of goods and services, making it difficult for families to afford the basic necessities of life. Furthermore, the cost of living rises, which can make people resort to crime for survival.
4. Political Unrest
Political unrest is one of the causes of disorder in society. Where the selfish interests of individuals supersede the provision of basic amenities for the citizens of a country. Political unrest can also occur when politicians refuse to concede defeat during elections. They rally young people to distort the peace of society for their personal gain.
Conclusion
Maintaining the rules of order in our society requires us to practice ethical principles, religious principles, cultural principles and unwritten standards of behaviour. Doing the opposite leads to disorder in our society.
It would be unrealistic to expect that we would live a conflict-free life all the time, though. Conflict will sometimes arise, this is why we must equip ourselves with the necessary skills to deal with them as they arise to prevent a full disintegration of the society.
