Rules and the Joy in Life

“Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

Now I don't know about you, but I am a little surprised to hear a leader of a nation, albeit in-exile, and a religious leader suggesting breaking rules. Most of my religious education in early days was about commandments you had to follow, and rules about when you could eat and what you could eat on certain days. Being told to learn enough to break them effectively may have been my natural bent, but it was "bent" and that was some of the fun of breaking rules. It was getting away with something that was attractive about lots of the things I did in my youth--why else would a teenager take up lighting rolled up dead leaves that came with names like Lucky Strike and Camel and sticking them in his mouth if breaking the rules wasn't fun? And who liked the taste of beer in the beginning? Not me (although you'd never know it now).

I have retained that penchant for wanting to break the rules for most of my adult life, too. I enjoyed being different, not conforming to what others expected, surprising people, being the contrarian. Not that I didn't learn to be the quintessential organization man. I made up for not always following the rules and living up to what was expected by working hard to ensure mostly I was above reproach. But there was always that moment I would seize when I could surprise someone or myself, by doing or saying the unexpected.

It would syphon off every bit of the joy in life if I had to conform all the time. Maybe that's what he's talking about--that little spark of joy that comes from upsetting the apple cart. For a while I was not so sure. I looked up the Four Noble Truths, they are all about suffering, its causes and putting it to an end. I went on to look into the Noble Eight-Fold Path to Nirvana. They are all about wisdom, ethical conduct and concentration--not much room for rule-breaking at a quick glance. I did notice one thing casting about for an answer--I never once saw a picture where the Dalai Lama wasn't smiling. I think I know why.