Listen to this article Laws are rules for people in communities. For instance, in every country and culture of the world, there are laws against serious offenses: murder, robbery, violence against people, and the like. These laws make sense. They are necessary for safety and health, for community order, and for good human relationships in communities; they are probably similar all over the world. On the other hand, many laws and rules differ from country to country, from area to area, or even from one community to another. Some common illustrations of this variety are laws about driving, drinking alcohol, eating, smoking, shopping, money, people's rights, and many others. For example, a legal action in Lima, Peru, may be against the law in Seoul, Korea--and an illegal activity in an Asian community may be perfectly legal in a European city. On the other hand, laws may be the same in various countries but vary in different cities or states of the same nation.
Traffic laws--rules about driving and parking cars, riding bicycles, walking, and so on--vary in communities around the world. Here are some examples from the United States. In some rural (country) communities, teenagers with driving permits can drive alone after the age of fourteen; in most towns fifteen-year-olds can drive only with a licensed driver in the car; in still other places, the lowest legal driving age is sixteen or eighteen. In some states, drivers can make a right turn after a full stop at a red traffic light, but in other states drivers may turn only at a green light. In many places, but not everywhere, it is against the law to drive or ride without a seat belt. As another example, some communities have helmet laws: motorcycle riders and bicycle riders under a certain age have to wear these hard hats for safety. There are even laws for walkers: in many U.S. cities you can get a ticket for jaywalking (crossing the street in the middle instead of at the corner). Of course, other countries may have similar traffic laws. For instance, jaywalking is against the law in Russian cities too. What happens if a car hits a jaywalker? The walker has to pay a fine, but not the driver!
What about regulations and customs in other areas of people's lives? Some communities have a lot of rules about legal and illegal individual activities--even drinking and smoking. For instance, in most places in the United States, no one under twenty-one can buy or drink alcohol legally--even beer or wine. In some communities, it's illegal to drink a can of beer on a public street; it's also against the law to have an open alcohol container in a car. Similarly, smoking is no longer legal in public places--such as workplaces, restaurants, airports, and on airline flights within the United States. In Japan and other places, there is a legal age for smoking; in some Moslem countries, all smoking is against religious law. On the other hand, many people around the world drink and smoke--including more and more teenagers and young people. Customs and habits do not always go along with health or safety regulations or laws.
In the beginning, most local laws have a clear purpose or reason; even so, after many years, these same regulations can seem very strange or unusual. Here are some examples of old rules about personal relationships. In the backcountry of New Zealand, a man with many sisters can have the same number of wives. How is this custom legal? The man can give one sister to each of his wives' families! In some Indian communities, it is illegal for a young man and woman--married or not, to hold hands in a bus or train station; if they do, they have to pay an expensive fine. The law in some Chinese towns doesn't allow a man to give a woman a chicken leg during a meal; he can give her other chicken parts, but not a leg. And in Worland, Wyoming (a state in the United States), no married man may go camping alone or with his friends; he has to take along his wife! These old laws are probably still in effect, but not many people follow them.
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