Should you always obey the rules? That depends on the rules. Many rules are important. Society has put them in place to establish harmony and safety for its people, like the rules that control the flow of traffic and driving. Pollution rules and regulations are important as they protect the air we breathe and the water we drink and the food we eat. Breaking any of these rules harms us all.
But some rules aren’t about keeping us safe. Some rules are about power and dominance. These rules deserve being challenged. At one time, the rule was that a woman could not own property. Any thing that a woman had belonged to her father or her husband. During slavery, slaves were not allowed to learn to read. Getting caught reading was severely punished by whipping and sometimes even death by hanging. In 1872, Myra Bradwell, a would-be female lawyer challenged the rules that refused women admission to the state bar association. The courts upheld the rule that denied women the right to practice law. For the longest time, women were not allowed to vote. Only in 1920 did that rule change. So, do all rules need to be obeyed? On February 6, 2008, in Saudi Arabia, a 37 year old American woman was arrested and thrown in jail. She and her male co-workers were in the local Starbucks coffee shop using their internet service. In Saudi Arabia, there is a rule that a female can not be out in public with a male who is not a member of her immediate family. In Saudi Arabia , it is also against the rules for women to drive. In some parts of the world, the rule is females can not go to a male doctor. But, because there are not enough women doctors, many females do not get adequate healthcare or even any healthcare. Today, here in the United States , it is against the rules for students to be given full information about safe sex and birth control even though it may prevent the spread of Aids.
Some rules do need to be broken.
