Demarcations

Little white lines. Dotted lines. Curbs. Berms. Road ruts. Doorways and walls. Ceilings and floors.

We have limits set for us. Here we are to go. There we dare not go. Repercussions await veering from demarcations. We know where they are. We know what they are. We don’t always agree with them. We do not always obey.

“Staying in your lane is almost a mantra. Stick to your own business. These premises are off limits. Think what you will but keep it to yourself.” These and many other exhortations are commonplace. They are set on limiting our movement, actions and thoughts.

In many instances they do. Many will obey the signals and behave as expected. Others will not.

Public order is good for all of us. Breakaway behavior, however, has its perils. And positives.

Doing the unexpected or forbidden, often uncovers startling truths that the rest of us benefit from knowing. The benefit may be in the form of an invention that revolutionizes our daily lives. The old demarcations may be out of date and no longer useful. Breaking them discovers this reality. We learn we are freer than previously thought. We have new arenas to live into. We discover even more new things about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

I am neither cautioning to obey or break the rules. I am merely suggesting that we need to frequently rethink our limits. Testing boundaries builds muscles in the brain. We understand our world better, more thoroughly. We find new ideas, relationships and dynamics – between peoples and things – and build new products, services and industries.

The demarcation may have been installed to preserve order. Or it may have been created to preserve someone’s advantage. These change over time as all must change. Testing them proves their worth or falsity.

Curiosity pays dividends. Testing limits does as well. How much do we miss by idly following expectations? Is it time to push those boundaries?

April 19, 2024

 

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