The Rules

THE BOOK

It is increasingly difficult to take a walk in such “reservations of wanderers” as state parks. But the nearest state park to my home has, at its entrance, a fence plastered with a long line of placards saying: NO FIRES, SMOKING PROHIBITED, NO HORSE RIDING, NO FIRES, NO DOGS, NO HUNTING, NO CAMPING, NO SWIMMING, NO WASHING (I never did get that one.) PICNICS RESTRICTED TO DESIGNATED AREAS. Miles of what used to be free-and-easy beaches are now state parks which close at 6 P.M., so that one can no longer camp there for a midnight feast. Nor can one swim outside a hundred-yard span watched by a guard, nor venture more than a few hundred feet into the water. All in the cause of “safety first” and foolproof living.

The Game of Black and White
By Alan Watts

*****

 It seems that the most revolutionary thing I can do is to think for myself. This is especially so if I launch out on a spiritual path that has any meaning or power. The rules are made to protect us from ourselves and I can see why because people have no respect for each other. We are so egocentric that fires are lit where they can get out of control and burn down forests; we fear gangs of thugs that patrol beaches at night to catch, perchance,  unwary lovers; dogs are so abused by bad training that unleashed they attack anyone encountered; people camping abuse campsites so badly they chop down trees, crush bushes, and scatter litter. I don’t get the NO SWIMMING restriction in Lake Cachuma (our local reservoir). Hell, fish piss in the water… how much more bacteria can a handful of swimmers contribute to the microscopic fellows that isn’t wiped out through the fluoridation process?

    It would seem that respect for nature without being commanded to do so is a revolutionary act. In an ideal society we wouldn’t need all of these rules. State and national parks were created to protect areas from private ownership with the intention to protect them from exploitation…to keep these areas as pristine as possible for the enjoyment of the people. Then the rule makers made it damned near impossible to do so. I have to be careful to not do so in order to protect whatever spiritual path I am on against the reprobates. If my Higher Power has strength enough to be the dynamo in my life, this God doesn't need my help to keep the path clear of pollution.

    I heard this tsk...tsk  from a good Christian Friend: Jesus and Satan were having lunch in Heaven before creation. Discussion turned to how the creatures on earth would conduct themselves best. Jesus was led to say, “I would propose people treat each other as they would be treated.” Satan responded enthusiastically, “Great idea… we’ll need someone and a set of rules to ensure they do!”


geo 4,849