How
often do you ignore the crosswalks?
That’s
right. I’m asking. You’re standing mid-block, no traffic, with
the destination directly across the street. Are you walking all
the way to the end of the block to cross legally and then double-back?
Or, are you—of course, looking both ways and with the greatest
of care—stepping off the curb and straight to the other side?
Every
so often, a conversation will begin with people, and a foundational
reality will come into play. I believe that almost without exception,
people are rule-breakers. And, on an almost equal level of unanimously,
that people don’t see themselves as rule breakers in most circumstances.
Robbing
a bank? Stabbing someone? We could find scenarios where some will
have justifications of some sort for their actions. But even if
such justifications are claimed, most people know that there are
laws about robbing banks and assorted crimes. Those aren’t the
waters I’m wading into.
Instead,
let’s think of speed limits.
If
the posted speed limit on the highway is 65 miles-per-hour, I
think we both know that the vast majority of people do not believe
they are breaking any rules at 67 miles-per-hour. Probably don’t
feel that way up to 70 or 72.
Yellow
lights on a traffic signal? Suggestions.
And,
we can get into some heavier or trickier subjects. How about playing
poker at home? Or, at the family dinner table, serving someone
underage a glass of wine?
I’m
not bringing these up as a criticism of any sort. I think almost
all of us have a few things that we don’t even believe rise to
the level of wink-wink acknowledgement. I’m just wondering about
the differences we might find in people that exist and define
levels such as not being aware of doing something wrong, not really
being concerned by doing something wrong, and, ultimately, flat-out
disobedience.
I’ve
heard that newspaper honor boxes still exist, though I can’t recall
having seen one in years. Those are the vending machines for papers,
where some of us will recall that you put in a quarter, opened
the door, and grabbed the top one off of a stack. My guess is
that most of us that can even remember them might also recall
on one or two occasions removing two or three for the price of
one. Funny enough, the end of these units isn’t likely to be found
in people swiping an extra copy or two and running afoul of the
honor system (and technically the law). Instead, papers have increased
in cost, people don’t carry as much change (and certainly don’t
want to be feeding quarter after quarter into the box), and technology
has brought about alerts and assorted options on our phones for
getting the news.
Whether
we’re discussing people grabbing an extra paper or firing up a
lawn mower early on a Saturday morning, the reality is that many
of these acts… rules… laws… or whatever label or definition you
may care to give them… are mainly ones where I’m thinking that
your life and mine won’t be greatly impacted at all by someone
else violating them. Like I said a moment ago, the newspaper vending
machines are likely being swept into history by technology, not
theft.
I
suppose what we are moving toward is a debate about convenience
as much as anything else. That crosswalk abuse? We’ve all heard
about jaywalking. I’m also guessing that pretty much all of us
have jaywalked. (That’s a guess. Not a personal admission.)
The
problem, exposed at the most basic of levels, is when people do
get hurt. Again, crosswalks, and playing in traffic. But serious
injuries and severe consequences isn’t where I wanted to guide
this discussion.
Instead,
I’m just wondering. Do you care about your neighbors when you
head out to work in your yard? Or, more specifically, when do
you notice the lines you occasionally cross?