By Mandelman
We all break various rules and laws from time to time, in fact, many of us break a law or two almost every day. Exceeding the speed limit while driving comes immediately to mind, but there are others as well.
For the most part, the laws most of us break on occasion would have to be considered fairly minor infractions, and the reason we break them willingly is because we don’t think we’ll get caught. It’s not the severity of punishment that deters criminals from breaking laws… it’s the certainty.
Getting a speeding ticket for driving 90 miles per hour can be, as punishments go, fairly severe… the fine alone can cost hundreds of dollars and the impact on our insurance premiums can be similarly burdensome. Get two or three such citations for speeding during the course of a year and the costs could mount into the thousands. A few more, and we might lose our license to drive. And yet, even so, many still think nothing of ignoring the speed limit almost every time behind the wheel.
But, consider what happens when we see a highway patrol car on the side of the road? We slow down immediately… like an involuntary reflex…. even when the patrol car is on the other side of the highway. We clearly do not want to get caught. We’re only willing to break the speed limit laws when we perceive the odds of getting caught to be low.
What if every time our speedometers exceeded the speed limit while driving, we heard a “Ding!” and a citation for speeding simply printed out of our dashboards. It wouldn’t have to be a very expensive citation, maybe only $5 would do it… and most of us would change our driving habits in a hurry. Not because of the severity of the punishment for speeding down the highway… but because of the certainty that we would be caught and punished… every single time we broke that law.
A Higher Standard…
Most of us are only concerned about living within society’s laws, but certain professions impose a higher standard on their members… doctors and lawyers come immediately to mind, but there are others as well, such as police officers, investment professionals, educators, interpreters, pilots, members of the clergy, and even journalists… all are supposed to adhere to …read more
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