Rules

We will have no rules, a couple of the participants firmly shouted as a member of the group expressed concerns that guys were leaving early from the support system that meets Tuesdays in Royal Oak. MI. Upon reflection, to say there will be no rules in the decades-old men's group of wise elders is to be a rule, or, if you will, a ruler by which the group guides its 'round robbin' turn where each participant talks briefly about his health, attendance at some cultural event or movie, and more, for example. Having to leave yesterday's meeting early for an appointment, I thought, perhaps, all the traffic lights need to go,also, and, the boundary lines that keep athletes playing their games fairly with rules to guide the revered and ancient courtesy, and, the "courtliness" of Francis of Assisi, Italy. Otherwise, a people without a plan will perish, I was reminded. And, a family, a people without the equipment and formed-capacity and skills to ensure the common good with respect, "I'm sorry," "Excuse me," and more, will be in disarray, for sure. How's that working for us, I wondered? And, for this nation and town, for that matter?