Order and Chaos: An Obnoxiously Delicate Balance

Every human being has proven that they need to be regulated, in one way or another. From the child to whom the parents have to say, "Don't play with matches," to the Honorable Judge that had to say, "Don't play with matches, Thomas Sweatt." Why is this the case when we're supposedly intelligent creatures?

The issue is lack of symbiosis. The animal kingdom has shown us that enemies must either avoid or defeat each other in order to maintain a social balance. It's also shown us that a symbiotic relationship is possible, where there is unspoken communication between the two or more parties, concerning what is mutually beneficial. Then--and this is the key--they both do that thing.

Law enforcement, sports referees, teachers, even school prefects, are only there to help regulate the activities of others. If human beings did things together, these professions would become obsolete. Of course, there is no "hive mind" within the human race, but there probably should be after thousands of years of being forced to deal each other.

True individuality is an illusion. There is no truly unique individual in the world, not even in the whole of existence. It would be a species-wide suicide if our genetic makeup completely tailored to the individual. You might think the way you dress helps define your character. While this is true, you're overlooking one important thing: the very clothing you wear is not unique. Someone made that, and, if you bought it, that article or those articles of clothing have siblings. If your clothing is completely custom-made, guess what? You're still wearing clothing, made out of the same material as the store bought garbage, just like everybody else. You might want to be a nudist, then. You're not the only one. In fact, there's no other group that has so much in common with their appearance than nudists.

The absence of "true individuality" isn't such a bad thing. The importance of individuality is an illusion, as well. Why would a group of living creatures crave isolation? Doesn't isolation eventually lead to an early death? Since this is the case (and it most definitely is), the isolationist is craving to die. What's ironic is that every isolationist takes other people with them. This pattern is very similar to another post I have on this blog, but it's true, nonetheless.

What brought this entire rant to the surface was a basketball player I saw on television, who took shuffle-steps while he had the ball. In basketball, in case you didn't know, when a player has the ball and is neither dribbling nor shooting/passing, they have to establish what's called a "pivot foot" which is exactly what it sounds like, a foot with which to pivot. If you lift this foot, it's a violation known as a "travel". This particular player who I witnessed not only lifted his pivot foot, he shuffled his feet so rapidly that there was no indication that he was ever informed a pivot foot was needed. This is a professional player I'm talking about.

Regulation is hilarious. It's tattle-telling in its highest form. It's sanctioned finger-pointing, and the accused is then held accountable for their transgression. Except, the one attached to the finger is also subjected to regulation, because they are also prone to breaking the rules. It's a game of sheep blaming sheep, and this means hypocrisy will always be in the mix. It's inevitable.

The moral is: break the rules. Everyone else does.