It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them.

Conformity is what it takes. Although the topic is moot, yet I will take my position by agreeing with Stevenson's comment.

What we normally observe is that people like to devise new policies, principles, rules and plans. But when it comes to the actual transformation of these goals into actions, a number of people fail; some simply don't want to try. So, the actual problem arises at the execution phase.

Let's take an example of the objectives defined by our Government. In 2010, there should be no power cuts, but we are all experiencing the same problems we did for the last so many years. Similar is the case with our politicians. According to the constitution, no one can become a member of the parliament until he/she has a Bachelor's Degree. Still, there are so many members with fake degrees and/or qualifications below the defined criteria. So the problems remain unsolved.

We have originated these rules, and we still don't follow them. Sounds strange!

Educational institutes have certain criteria for admissions. For instance, an XYZ institution explicitly states that we do not accept students with a 3rd Division in Intermediate Levels. But as soon as it receives a call from a General, the same applicant gets the admission. Now, do you think we are living up to the defined rules? No.

Living up to the rules also requires some sort of commitment. For instance, the founders of Comsats Institute of Information Technology treat it as their own baby. They establish goals, devise strategies, do whatever has been written in the plan and never deviate. For instance, according to the absenteeism policy, no student can take the final exam if he/she has not attended 80% of the total classroom sessions. Now, whether you got injured in an accident or you are getting married; you can never expect any sort of concession. This is how people live up to their standards. They are committed to Comsats; they would never do anything that affects its image.

Even at the personal level, you may observe breaking your own rules. Every time, you register for a new semester, you define a new set of rules. But eventually, the same rules become less important and you start to disobey them. Therefore, you fail at the execution phase which is the most important.

In my viewpoint, procrastination is one of the major sources of failure. People don't stand by the rules because they simply like to delay. Similarly, there is no concept of positive and negative reinforcement. Those who follow the rules don't get any sort of recognition or appreciation. Hence, the percentage of followers is less. Contrary to this, people who do not follow the rules are not punished and this promotes the barbaric culture.

In conclusion, living up to the rules requires a lot of hard work and patience on part of the followers and those who created them. One has to become very honest and unbiased while making a move. Also, blaming others for not following the rules is not the solution; we should all play our part of the game and let others do what they want. If we continue to think this way, we can change this world and make it a better place.