One more thing

[anigo]

I was driving to work this morning listening to the news and it was talking about somebody suing the government over something or other, I can't remember what, and it made me think.

We have rules and regulations and guidelines and laws. We have stop lights and seat belt rules and standards that car manufacturers have to hold to. We have the Food Inspection Agency and the Child Protection Agency and the Environmental Protection Act.

My question is this. In doing all this, in setting so many rules and guidelines for ourselves, do we take away our own sense of protection? Oh look, the light is green, I'll just drive right through it, whereas if the light wasn't there we'd be more cautious at the intersection. Or we are confident (or over confident) when we use a piece of equipment because it follows safety guidelines, whereas if these guidelines weren't in place we would a) be MUCH more careful, and b) competition would be required to make superior products due to a survival of the fittest kind of economy.

Basically, are all of the things that are put in place for our own protection only serving to make us less aware of our surroundings and more reliant on the regulatory type boards that put them in place?

I'll, leave it with you...