The more you forbid something, the more they'll keep doing it!
(Baonghean) - The story goes that a man wanted to fill in his fish pond to build a house for his son. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to do it. "In a single night, a plan was devised," and the next day, people saw the owner put up a sign that read, "Dumping earth and rocks is strictly prohibited in this area."
Unexpectedly, just a few days later, a constant stream of vehicles suddenly appeared—sometimes unexpectedly in the middle of the day, other times in the dead of night—with some acting stealthily and others brazenly, taking turns dumping earth and rocks into the pond where the sign with its seemingly powerful words stood. After a few months, the muddy fish pond had been transformed into a perfectly leveled plot of land. It is said that this ingenious plan earned the man who so proactively applied "social science progress" to his life tens of millions of dong.
Of course, it's a made-up story, a kind of street humor where anyone can recognize the author's intention to ridicule. Let's not examine how much fiction it contains for now. But, upon reflection, this story, which was never true, isn't entirely illogical. Though not a major issue, it painstakingly conveys a message about a flaw in human nature – the nature of people in our country: the more something is forbidden, the more it is violated!
First, let me list a series of things we see and hear happening every day. There are probably few places in the world that have as many prohibition signs as we do. Everywhere you look, you can spot signs without even closing your eyes: "No bathing or washing," "No littering," "No going against the traffic," "No cutting in line," "No smoking," "No holding markets," "No street vending," "No parking," "No fishing," "No letting cattle roam"... Even hospitals have "No giving bribes!" along with hundreds of other nameless, nameless public prohibitions scattered everywhere, in every field. And that's not all; besides these official prohibition signs, there are countless other spontaneous and hilarious ones. The author of this article couldn't help but laugh at lines like: "No bringing your boyfriend into your rented room; if the landlord catches you, don't blame me for being mean," "No climbing the fence, or you'll have to pay a fine of millions of dong." There's even "No urinating in public; violators will have their... evidence confiscated!" Wow! So many, so many! It's so vivid! The stories are endless; even countless examples wouldn't be enough!
Some people complain that when you can't manage something, you have to ban it. If banning doesn't work, then you have to resort to strict prohibition, then absolute prohibition, and even higher levels like absolute prohibition! Each prohibition sign is plastered with intimidating symbols! Unfortunately, the power of each sign itself is powerless against unconscious behavior stemming from human biological instincts. A sign, after all, is just an inanimate object. Yet, people breathe a sigh of relief after putting up the sign. Okay, done! There's a prohibition sign now! From now on, all the blame lies with the violator; we don't know, we're not responsible! Putting up the prohibition sign is considered "putting the resolution into practice," but whether life reflects the resolution—who knows! We don't care!
That's about the prohibition itself, the first part brimming with the beautiful wishes of many people, perhaps even those who just approved the payment for the sign's placement! But what about compliance? Do the general public seriously adhere to it? Are they "afraid" of those white letters printed on a blue background? Well, behind every prohibition sign lies a whole web of stories – happy, sad, frustrating, even tear-jerkingly funny, like the "land leveling" incident. But most commonly, the most prevalent is the situation where all those prohibitions are... thrown offside. That is, prohibitions are prohibitions, but violations continue unchecked! That's all, what's the problem! Some people brazenly relieve themselves in public while casually spelling out the prohibition sign, even playfully playing with words: "If it's prohibited, then it's prohibited, why would they prohibit it?!" Amazing!
What makes people so unethical? Perhaps the storm of disregard for public decency doesn't come from any particular direction. However, the initial whirlwind cannot be ignored; it's a social factor. The surrounding environment directly impacts human consciousness. For example, they might ignore a "no smoking" sign to light a cigarette at a train station, but wouldn't do so in the air-conditioned office of their boss, or perhaps even less so in large hospitals! The next factor is the self-awareness of each individual. This stems, to a greater or lesser extent, from their cultural background and educational environment. This is perhaps the most fundamental weakness that we've been struggling with, with our futile calls to action. Another factor that cannot be overlooked is the lenient penalties for violations. Hundreds of people still freely smoke in public places, and nothing happens to them. People still litter on the streets every day, still urinate in public without a care, and yet no one gets caught! Eventually, even the most cowardly realizes that "no littering" signs are just bogeymen, and nine-tenths of their purpose is simply to scare people!
Has anyone ever wondered why the same people, with the same mindset, never litter when they go abroad? Why? Because the surroundings are so clean, because everyone around them is so self-disciplined, and also because the penalties are so severe! That's right, society is like a living organism; it's difficult to hop to the finish line. Along with educating people's awareness, there needs to be a synchronized infrastructure and a strict legal system. If we're going to use the word "prohibition," let's not forget the word "punishment." If we can't enforce penalties, at least we should prohibit things moderately.
Nguyen Khac An
