The Law

Some rules can be bent, others can be broken.

Didn't Lawrence Fishbourne say that in some movie?

Morpheus, in The Matrix.

That's right, The Matrix. So, which ones can be bent?

I think the key word is rules. If you follow all the rules blindly all the time, you'll be miserable. It's unsustainable. To live well and benefit from these so called "rules," you must know their reason and purpose. By following your heart, understanding the reasoning, and living your life accordingly, they sometimes bend. You will hardly even notice.

Alright. My heart tells me I want to be President of the United States. That's a worthy purpose. Which rules can I bend to get there?

None. I told you. You can't force the rules to bend, it will just happen...a side-effect. Also, they bend according to others, but never from your own perspective.

How is that useful to me?

It isn't, really. It's just an observation.

Then why are you telling me?

Because I noticed the rules bending around me, that's all.

Why do I care?

Well, because my actions may seem confusing to you, that's why. I just want you to know I'm not psycho.

No guarantees, man. I already think that. But, tell me, how can rules seemingly bend for some and not others?

It's like physics. You know anything about physics?

Sort of.

Well, look at nature. You throw a ball up and it always comes down, right? It's the law of gravity. Well, you can put the ball in a cylinder with wings on both sides welded to a jet engine and keep it in the air for a very long time. But, it will eventually come down, right?

I suppose, but what if you launch it into space?

Then it may never come down. You see, you can never escape the law of gravity, but if you understand it, you can do things that seem to break the law that really don't.

So, it's all relative?

Never in fact, only in perception. Everyone must follow the law of gravity, but by accepting it, and working with it, you can do things that, to others, seem to break the law.

Sounds like a different frame of reference...that the law applies to some differently than others. I think you are talking about moral relativism. I don't agree with that. My pastor says moral relativists go to hell.

The laws of nature apply to everyone equally. Some are exposed to those laws differently than others. Let's look at Einstein's theory of special relativity. A person moving really fast, like, nearing the speed of light, will age slowly. A day to them may seem like a week to someone hanging out on earth. Neither person notices the difference as it is happening, but when the traveler returns to earth, his or her watch will have lost time. This even happens to astronauts orbiting earth. They lose a few seconds as they're zipping around the planet. It's called time dilation. They used this mechanism to explain how they got into the future in Planet of the Apes.

So, basically, you are saying that time travel is a scientific fact?

Yes, theoretically, a person can travel into the future. If you've been on a plane you already have, but only a few microseconds. See, you've already broken the 'law' and you didn't even know it.

Is there a way to go back in time? I want that time back.

No. Sorry. That is against the law.

But, a few microseconds is completely useless. There is no way to get close to the speed of light with our technology. Why even discuss the law of gravity in the first place?

Just to demonstrate that physical laws can seem inconsistent when they really aren't. Laws of ethics and morality have exotic properties too, especially in extreme cases. Sometimes, what seems like the bending of rules is simply the natural universe doing its unpreventable thing. I'm just pointing out the similarities.

Sounds to me like you are trying to rationalize behavior you know is wrong...against the law.

Maybe I am. Maybe not. Depends which set of laws you are thinking of. Sometimes the laws of man violate the laws of nature. Some folks convince themselves that they are above any law for reasons inconsistent with the law itself; killing for peace, stealing for one's own good, etc. Some folks trust themselves a lot, and can overlook the contradictions, rationalize. I never could do that. What little I know keeps me pretty humble.

So, which rules have you bent?

None, according to me anyway. My rules don't bend, as much as others' think they do. Yesterday someone called me a psychopath. I wasn't hurt. I don't take it personally anymore. I never could bear to break or even bend the real rules...not one bit, once I understood them. Doing so never made any sense to me...

Is that why they put you in here?

Guess so...

Well, looks like my time is up. They sure don't allow much visitation, do they?

Nope, not in maximum security.

Alright. See you next month, man. You may be bat-crazy psycho, but I don't blame you for following your heart.

Ha, didn't know I had a choice. Well, see you then, man.