Your Opinion on: When do we need to break the rules?

[danceswithcrayons]

One rule that I broke was to 'obey parents'. This was instilled at home, at school and at church. When little, didn't realize all homes were not like ours and simply followed the orders.

It became important to break the rule, yet still loved my parents. Thankyou Paulo

[danceswithcrayons]

Rules can be wonderful guidelines, yet are not fair or just in every unique situation. We also need compassion. Some decisions are not easy, but following the heart helps.

[RevolutionaryJam]

we follow our conscience. if the only reason you are not breaking the rule is fear it is the wrong reason. also, did you agree to the rules? did you sign a contract or make a promise? whose rules are they?

[manolissssss5]

Just one word, when freedom is at stake in any way or form people should break the rules. When Plato was asked ''Teacher if your best friend is a criminal by the law would u help him?'' and he answered ''Friendship is above any rules...its the core of our society''

[braziliamjungler]

I think the rules can be broken to find the love and the pursuit of truth. Maybe??

[mistyeyedlass]

#

eunsongdallim ..thanks:)

[finix007]

It's not the rules which desides what heppens in a person's life. So they shohuldn't deside what is the next step. The baby will born and live but how about the life which is already here and will get destroyed by that baby. The responsibility(not Burden) will ruin the future of the girl and it would be the same way for the new baby as well. I am not in favour of the abortion but it's the situation she's in.if she'd be 18 or older that i definately would advocate the birth.

[DJMahon]

Well, that tears it--now I know that Paulo Coelho is not a Catholic. No child deserves to be murdered because they are inconvenient or a "burden" to someone else or society. There are lines that you do not cross, and to advocate the murder of a child is to cross those lines. "Warrior of Light" my ass.

[spinningtop1]

I don't think rules should be followed, 'just because they are there.' One should strive to understand why the rule exists and then follow their conscience. I do not believe, however, that the rules of the Church are simply arbitrary dictates that do not take into account the needs of the human person. If the unborn is are human persons, they should be afforded the same rights as the born. If they are not human persons no excuse is required - they can be killed regardless of the circumstances.

[Praetendere]

Rules are only worth following when they have sound reason to exist. "But isn't abortion murder?" some ask. "Not killing innocent children seems a good reason to oppose abortion!"

Why does a woman want an abortion? Because she cannot properly care for her child. It is unfair to bring a kid into the world if it can't be cared for, if the parents can't afford it. Somehow they think it's more moral to force an irresponsible woman to care for a child and turn him into a fuck-up too.

Disgusting.

[spinningtop1]

The problem is that you are presupposing that an unborn child has no worth and does not deserve any rights. If the unborn are not human beings and deserving of the same rights as any other human being, then why not kill them? If  the unborn are human beings and not simply biological by-products they have the same right to life that is afforded to each of us.

Society would not condone the killing of a newborn simply because a family suddenly found itself in financial difficulty.

[bezzi00]

Once more... its simple. follow the ethick and moral rights, ore do something that may seams bad at the time, but is better with time.:)

[jauhari92]

Dear Paulo, I thnk we can break the rule in the event of emergency.

[bailyshouse]

It's very simple. Life is not black and white. Most important decisions need to be considered and made in the grey zone, so of course rules need to be broken. Organized religions really could use a little color bashing for their own good and for the peoples who believe in them. I belong to the religion of good old common sense. It's missing I'm afraid, especially in the minds of these "outdated, silly and dangerous" religious leaders.

[mistyeyedlass]

breaking the rules, w/o steeping on other people---that's life. It's hwo we should live life--we only get to live once--let's just do whatever there is to do, those that will make our hearts feel "alive". It's not easy, but in the end, it is worth it. Mr. Coelho, your books have always inspired me:)

[motheoracle]

It is funny because I like structure but rules make me balk. I have been saying to my students for years... boundaries are made to be safe, rules are made to be broken. This goes along with the golden rule of poetics... learn the rules and then you can break them... Its always important to know what the rules are, which should be flexible and only used as moral compasses. If one falls into dogmatically following rules, passion is lost. All we would have left is a false confidence outside ourself

[sttftloml]

Dear Paulo, when do we need to break the rules? I believe we break rules when our loved ones are compromised, in danger, or we think they will be hurt in some way Does this decision by the Catholic church mean that children are not their loved ones?

[lilou1467]

Dear Pablo, altough i would never consider myself as a "true" philosopher, but i believe that people cling on to their beliefs for fear or losing what little they have know/think to be true for the whole of their lives..History teaches us many lessons, and one of them is how inflexible the Catholic Church has been to commit to meaningful change and convey a positive message by fear of loosing its majority of its followers.. How about a more flexible and case by case approach, is that so hard?

[tigernymph69]

I have a belief which is a mixture of different things, shamanic and other spiritual understanding. I do not have a religion as such as I have yet to find one that does not have rules which are not allowed to be interpreted with a degree of common sense. I believe in each to their own, but rules that are hard and fast are not for me apart from those that naturally honour who and what we are.

[CoeurSufi]

I cannot break the rules when I follow the ones of the heart. It is difficult to say all this in a few lines. I have not broken any rule because what I have decided to do was not to break a rule but follow the rules that are not rules in fact. It is a word I don't like too much perhaps...

[snowwolfsabertooth]

Rules are meant to guide us, not to chain us down. If your heart wants to do something that a rule doesn't allow, break the rule

[buutich]

In Buddhism, we are taught to not follow any rules blindly - even from our teachers, or the Buddha himself. They are to be considered carefully, but if they don't stand up to "reason" then discard them.

[maghy3431]

I think that rules you can break them when they are against the human rights, because anything is over the human being, of course in the good sense of the nature rights of everyone.

[rathowie]

The Catholic Church did not instate the "no abortion" rule as some noble cause. It was instated so that people would reproduce and there would be more people in the Church to support it financially and spread its power. It is insane to think that a 9 yr. old child would be denied an abortion under any circumstances.

[aira9art]

unbelievable!!!! 9yr old???

what a contradicting issue!!!

depends on the girl ...

was she rapped?

maria sevastaki

[oceanbirth]

always break any rule that doesn't feel right in your heart. all 'rules' are made by others, and noone but yourself knows what is right for yourself.

[11111dustin11111]

@oceanbirth Provebs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

 But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.

I am not catholic, but I know I am saved 1 John 5:13 (We can know for sure we are going to heaven).

Never follow your heart as your heart will deceive you. Follow Truth. Do not make a child (9) murder, and live with that the rest of her life.

[Snowf1aK]

Civil disobedience and protecting our god given rights agianst things that still exist today in the manner of fascism and slavery.

[ivanivanic]

There is no such thing as a recipe for obeying rules. We can respect rules and need them because we want to have a structure in life. We always have rules - aware of it or not. Structure that we create is the way that we live in this world. We can always weigh in specific situations if the problem we face is big enough to break rules to solve it, or the rules are to important for us to break them. Simply we decide what is more important - preserving structure or making solution.

[wesweiss]

Quando me disseram que eu deveria agir de forma desonesta para atingir metas exageradas, respondi que não o faria.

Dias depois a recomendação tornou-se ordem.

Evitei, e quando não mais pude fugir a ocasião, finalmente me recusei a fazer o que fora ordenado.

"Então você não trabalha mais aqui!"

Foi quando concordei com minha gerente - "Tudo bem. Sem problemas. Quer que eu chame outro?"

Hoje, ainda trabalho lá. Minha gerente - alias, ex gerente - não.

[rathowie]

This is what I have noticed about members of the Catholic faith. When the rules fit where they want them to, they obey them. When they don't, they break them, all the while claiming to be "good Catholics". Religion is hypocracy. Watch "Religilous" the documentary by Bill Maher if you really want the truth and if you really want answers to this question and all questions about religion.

[Oneness01]

In today's society one has the right to have an abortion under some circumstances. If you have sex without protection, then want to get an abortion, then that's bad and irresponsible. In the case of the girl in Brazil, I say they should let her abort it...why? because first of all she was a victim of a crime and the baby will always remind her of that crime. Do not bring this dumb rule to this poor girl who has already suffered enough. So yes, in my opinion sometimes rules should be broken.

[TangerineTangerine]

There are basic, simple human "rules" imprinted in our instinct, things that feel logical no matter where you live, religious or not... rules concerning kindness and a rule of nature which i think covers it all: karma. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Every act is followed by a consequence. That rule simply cant change. All other rules, created by tradition, religion, government etc can be broken depending on the situation. Many rules get outdated & need to be changed anyway.

[disturbedprodigy]

i think in time when you have no choice, like as you put it, the girl was nine, that is a clear example. When you have no other option or when the rules are unjust and are just there as a form of oppression then i say rebel against them. There are many churches here that say a friend of mine can't wed cause he is gay. But if the love a person feels for another is true and they honest can say they love that person then i think that rule should be broken.