Why can't we do more or less whatever we want?

[firesoforion]

I used to teach 7th grade, and students would ask what the purpose of various rules was. The seating chart, for example. That didn't involve morality. One seat should be the same as another. Think of a generally rule-abiding kid. Why couldn't that kid sit by his also generally rule-abiding friend? By doing so, he wouldn't hurt other students. So why?

The answer was that, even if they couldn't see it, if the rules were gone, the classroom would have been chaos. They had to follow the rules because the classroom was designed with those rules in place to keep things functioning properly. To move the rule-abiding kids would enable the troublemakers to sit together, which would have made things miserable for everyone.

God created the world and humankind to function a specific way. Even if our human eyes can't see all the reasons for everything, the world works right when it operates according to God's will, and it doesn't work right when it goes against Him.

 

[Niels]

"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything."
- 1 Corinthians 6:12

Not wanting to hurt others is a start, but don't forget about your own well-being. Consider whether the implications and consequences of an action are what you really hope to achieve. Avoid the things that you might be controlled by or otherwise bring harm to yourself or to others.