Rising Above Guidelines and Rules

All families, groups and communities have guidelines and rules that provide clarity about how people within that family, group or community will interact. Within a school context, rules, guidelines and policies help people to be safe, promote identity and belonging and enable quality to grow across all dimensions of life. Learning to grow our inner moral compass enables us to lift ourselves beyond “seeing” and feeling bound by rules to understanding and contributing to our mutual responsibility to enhance the lives of people within community. Living with care, dignity and respect lifts us beyond being directed by rules. We do things well out of care and respect for the dignity and wellbeing of all. There is a shift of focus from me to we.

When questioned about the greatest commandments, Jesus replied “Love your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your soul and the second was to “love your neighbour as yourself”, explaining that all the laws and teachings of the prophets hung on these two commandments. By focusing on loving God and our neighbour, our eyes, hearts and hands are called into the service of people. When we embrace these two great commands, we rise above the need to be directed by rules to living fully and being empowered by love.