Living with Rules

Rules face us all day. Should we always play according to the rules, or should rules become void in certain circumstances? Let me give you a situation and think how you would react: You are sitting in a library researching or simply checking your email. It is clearly posted that cell phone use is prohibited. Your phone starts vibrating and you see that your mom is calling. Do you answer it? Most people would reply no because you can call her back. Well, what if your dad is in ICU and you are eagerly awaiting any status updates? Or, what if your mom never calls you during the day so you naturally assume it must be urgent? Do the circumstances allow you to bend the rules? Some people feel they are above the rules no matter what the case may be, and some are such stickler they feel rules are there for a reason and must never be broken. Most are on the fence and say you can break rules depending on why they need to be broken. I have broken many rules for different reasons whether it was simply rebellion or indifference. Sometimes the rule itself inspires us to break it. The time old example is telling a young child not to touch a breakable and the moment the parents turns away, it comes crashing to the floor. I am like a child more often than not, feeling the need to rebel and do what I want and not what I've been told. But my mature, responsible side causes me to drive within the speed limit, get to work on time, and not yell at the clerk rudely ringing up my purchases because I don't want to deal with the consequences... Rules are there whether unspoken or not.