There's a voice inside each of us, telling us how to live.
Reddit user, u/Embarrassed_Age_8463, wanted to know your own personal code of conduct when they asked:
What is an unwritten law you abide by?
Let's start with the small rules, the little ones that keep your day flowing smoothly and people out of the way of running into one another.
This Is Just "Don't Be Rude."
"Always let the people on the elevator get off before you get in."
"You would think this is common f-cking sense, but let me tell you, it's not that common. Smh."
Ask For Permission Or Leave It Alone
"Dont touch other people's stuff."
"My wife lives by this."
Hush. Listen.
"Give conversations air. Do not rush to reply. Listen, then reply."
"Don't listen to reply, listen to hear and take in what that person has to say."
Get To The Side
"Rechts stehen, links gehen."
"Which is the German term for our unwritten rule that when you use an escalator, you use the right side if you want to just stand around and take a chilled ride, and that you use the left side if you're in a hurry and want to speed up the ride by additionally walking up-/downwards."
"They tried to officially abolish it in Munich, but we aren't having it. We Germans love our escalator rules."
These rules spread far and wide, covering a few range of topics. Sometimes they're meant for survival in the long run, ensuring your safety should things ever go wrong. Other times it's meant to protect your wallet. Simple as that.
Anything You Say Can And Will Be Used Against You
"Assume anything you tell anyone will be repeated!"
"To build on this, assume anything you put in writing could be read in front of a jury. Paper, text, email? Imagine what you're about to hit send on gets read aloud to a courtroom before you hit send"
Not With Money Or Your Wife
"Don't trust anyone who backstabs others in front of you"
"This was kind of a big thing in the military. There's this presence of the idea that we're all best friends and brothers and sisters and inseparable and will die for every one around us. I literally can't count the number of guys I'd see hit the pier overseas and take their rings off then head into town. Same guys would blow all their money, then come back to the ship asking for loans, "we're boys right?!?!". No dude, your own wife can't trust you. I don't believe a f-cking thing you say."
And then there's these, guidelines for a better life, true tests of character you follow to keep yourself in the barrier of "good person" and "awful human being."
The Ultimate Test Of Morality
"Put the f-cking cart in the f-cking cart return like a decent human being."
"I'll extend this: if you don't want something, put it back where you found it."
"Also, if you accidentally make a mess, CLEAN IT THE F-CK UP. The minute someone is like "they get paid to do that," I lose a lot of respect for them"
"There's actually a shopping cart theory: " The theory posits that the decision to return a cart is the ultimate test of moral character and a person's capacity to be self-governing."
Keep Those Kids Under Control
"Don't let your kids be a nuisance to other people when in public. I'm not talking about babies and toddlers, but kids running around in restaurants or going ham kicking plane seats."
"Not even just for others' sake, but for their sake, too. I worked in a restaurant, and some parents would just let their toddlers and sh-t wander around while they stayed seated at their table. I remember when I found a 3-4 year old waddling around a room away from his mom in a packed restaurant and almost lost my mind. I can't tell you how many times my instinct to swoop them up and scold the parent/s almost took over, but I had to remain professional. I don't mind a little rowdiness, but for the kids' sake, stop being inattentive."
Be Kind.
"Be kind if at all possible"
"But don't brag about it. If it comes up in conversation that's fine but I know someone who puts everything on Facebook for the likes"
