I spent one evening with 2 black muslim(ic) women on a semi-arabic belly dance feast - there was a cold buffet, very oriental & we came to talk about food. My friend from Ghana said she never eats pork meat (it's forbidden by muslim religion you know)- the other one, a woman from Somalia we had just met there, told us that she never drinks alcohol (it's forbidden by muslim religion you know). But on the other hand, my Ghanese friend drinks alcohol & the Somalian woman eats pork -
Remains the question: Do 2 half muslims result in one single muslim or in no muslim at all? - the one favours this rule to follow, just because she doesn't really need, what's locked behind - the other one violates the same rule, because she just likes what's behind that forbidden door. I think in most cases the only two reasons why rules & laws are either violated or followed are a rough mix(ture) of
a) the fear of either being punished by law, be it celestial or human (state, government, the boss in your company ) or to lose ones reputation & honor in society which oversees eagerly rule rule violations. So most rules are broken in secret or in a society, where a lot of others break the same rule as same, having become an accepted fact by main groups of society already. -
or
b) by an overwhelming desire, greed & urge to get, what's behind the forbidden door
but I also see a 3.rd possibility -
let's call it c) this would be to accept rules, because you know they are right, accepting them in full consciousness of their worth, of their necessity & the general or personal need for these rules - but precondition for this consiousness is a grown-up & responsible state of mind -
& what group of people do you believe most people belong to? - Yes - it's a) & b) but rarely c) - so most rules are made because of a + b & c has to suffer under them too, for the one who sees consciously the necessity of rules, sees also the ridiculousness of certain other awkward, demanding, tedious & probably absolutely senseless rules that abound everywhere, luring the blind obidient, the unknowing believers as well as the dull never recognizing majorities..
& whoever set these rules? - if you live in a totalitarian state it's just your duty to fight & break these mindkilling rules..
I prefer the common sense type of rules, that make it possible for men to live in peace & harmony together, but I deeply hate the restricting & individualism suppressing rules set by that urge of power by certain & ever present government instruments in to control you totally & turn your life & behaving into a puppet on their strings of instruction -
the idea behind rules is punishment -
the idea behind punishment is to avoid further damage -
so the idea behind setting rules is damage avoidance-
At least, that's what I do as host in my appartment, if I ask guests to please take off their shoes, for I'm the king of my own world in which I set the rules, not quite so totalitarian I think..
