Rule View essay
People always elaborated rules on the ground of which they developed their social relations and maintained social order. In this regard, Sara’s view reveals the strife of people for setting rules, according to which the entire society lives. At the same time, Sara apparently underestimates the importance of changes of rules and the very possibility of such changes. However, changes of rules do not mean that something goes wrong as Sara thinks. Instead, changes are natural because they are essential for the improvement of the life of the society and meeting changing reality. Therefore, rules are essential for the maintenance of social order but the society keeps progressing and changes that occur in the society, namely in social and economic relations, provoke changes in rules. In such a way, rules persist but they have to change to meet needs of the society and each individual.
In fact, people live according to rules established in the society. Rules are essential for people because they contribute to the elaboration of effective social relations. In this regard, Sara is right in terms of her attitude to rules as the milestone of the normal social life. The society cannot live without rules because people need rules that regulate their life and define social relations. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that social relations are extremely complex and rules regulate social relations preventing numerous problems that may arise in the society without rules or where rules are violated or neglected. In such a way, the society develops rules to regulate relations between individuals. Individuals cannot live on their own but they live in the society. Therefore, rules help them to prevent problems and develop effective relations between individuals. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that people have complex social and economic relations, they may face political problems and rules help the society to regulate these issues.
Furthermore, people have their interests and needs, which do not always coincide. What is meant here is the fact that each individual has his/her own interests and needs. Therefore, the risk of conflicts between people arises. Rules help to prevent such conflicts. Without rules, people would come into clashes as their individual interests could not coincide, while rules make them limiting their interests and needs to respect interests and needs of other people. In fact, rules offer a sort of compromise between personal and social interests and needs or between interests and needs of individual and interests and needs of other individuals. All individuals agree to obey rules to be certain that their basic interests and needs will be met. On the other hand, they agree to refuse from certain interests that may have a negative impact on the society or on other people. In such a way, rules balance social relations.
In fact, rules set general principles on the ground of which social relations are constructed. People use rules to develop new social relations and rules serve as a framework within which social relations are developed. In such a way, rules are essential to contribute to the steady development of the society.
Rules also contribute to the formation of the social hierarchy because rules grant individuals with different functions and responsibilities in the society. Individuals cannot exercise their functions, if they do not have such authority defined by rules. In fact, the social hierarchy is impossible without rules. Rules grant individuals with authority and make other obey those individuals that have the higher authority above others. On the one hand, such impact of rules is negative because it leads to the oppression of certain individuals but, on the other hand, rules help to maintain hierarchy and social order. People need the authority. Otherwise, as Sara implies any individual could perform functions of a priest, for instance.
However, social rules change in the course of time. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the case of Jesus Christ and his followers. Jesus attempted to change the rules existing in the society but confronted the strong opposition from the part of priesthood. Jesus challenged existing social and religious rules. In fact, he suggested the totally different philosophy, which contradicted to existing rules but they were supported by a large number of people because they mirrored their expectations and opened an opportunity to change the world for better. Many people believed Jesus as they were dissatisfied with the quality of their life and with hypocrisy of the ruling elite. As a result, they readily supported Jesus Christ and his new philosophy, which suggested new rules, according to which people should live. However, these rules contradicted to the established rules and the authority repressed Jesus Christ to preserve the existing social order. Nevertheless, the new philosophy had a long-lasting effect and his teaching paved the way to the emergence of Christianity as a new, universal philosophy, where humanistic values were prior to shallow values of the society, where Jesus lived. He managed to put universal values and rules above national ones. This is why he confronted such a strong opposition but his example proves that rules are changing and they have to be changed from time to time to meet needs and expectations of people.
In this regard, Sara mirrors views that were dominant in the society, where she lived. The obedience to rules was a norm for the society and people respected social rules. As a result, Sara could not accept the concept of changes in rules because she perceived any deviation from rules as the challenge to the society. Such a position of Sara was determined by dominant social views and norms and she could not disobey dominant rules. Challenging rules needs courage and intellectual power because it is necessary to evaluate critically the actual social order and suggest changes in rules that can make the life of people better, while many people are just afraid of changing anything.
Therefore, rules are essential for people because they contribute to the development of effective and positive interpersonal relations and to maintain social stability. In this regard, Sara represents views of a conservative part of the society that stands on the ground that changes of rules are impossible and dangerous. In contrast, Jesus Christ personifies changes of existing rules. His new philosophy intended to change the existing social order and to make the life of people better. Consequently, rules need changes and people should come prepared to such changes because rigid rules fail to meet actual needs and expectations of people, while changes adapt rules to the changing social, economic and political environment.
