Boundaries

Recently in my wanderings, I have been thinking about boundaries and more precisely the power of the thought of boundaries. We all have boundaries (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, sexual, etc.) and it is easy to see the affects of these boundaries by how people act and think or rather how they do not. There are boundaries that are imposed by others, mainly those in control, that keep order and safety among the general populous.

These boundaries are the invisible ones found in the painted lines on the road, the safety of the sidewalk, the shapes of metal, the color of lights, etc. I will look at each one in a moment, but it is the idea behind these boundaries that keeps us at bay. If we do not abide by these "rules" then we have consequences and if we do follow them then we get rewarded. I believe it is the fear of the consequences that make us conform to those guidelines.

The lines (dashed, solid, double dash, double solid, etc.) on a road guide where a car goes and does not go. Even though there is no physical barrier, we still go where they lead, we do not cross them unless it is safe and unless it is allowed by the "rules," we feel safe from other vehicles because if anything were to happen, it is those same "rules" that guide us that also protect us and will make things right if they are broken. The sidewalk is a "safe" place for pedestrians even though, again, there are no walls to physically protect us. However even when we walk on the sidewalk, we walk on the right side even though there is no rule to which side of the sidewalk to walk on, yet we do this because when we drive, we do so on the right side, but what about those people that drive on the left side like in other countries, do they walk on the left side, just the same way they drive, or do they walk on the right side?

Another interesting fact is the power of metal and lights to control us as well. An octagon shape signifies that people are to stop, yet a triangle shape signifies caution or yield. Who decided that these are the shapes of the "rules?" The colors of the traffic lights also dictate when to stop, yield, go. Apparently "go" is the color green, "stop" is red, and "yield" is yellow. Again, there is aspect of these images that decides that they should be followed, yet we rely on these pieces of metal and colored lights to protect us and that if we abide by them we will be safe.

It is interesting how these different images control our very existence and way of life. These images have no value or power accept for those that society defines and regulates. We place a lot of stock in images, we need them to run our lives, or otherwise we think that there will be chaos. I am not saying that these "rules" are bad, they are just my observations on the power of ideas and the thoughts behind the images that control our lives.