More on cell phones

From an interesting article on cellphone mis-use:

"You wouldn't anticipate being on an escalator and expecting somebody behind you to have a camera phone or [a camera] in their shoe or in their bag and placing it under your skirt, then placing the picture on the Internet," says state Rep. Mary Ann R. Dailey, R-Montgomery, the state bill's sponsor. "That's unconscionable behavior. It's an unfortunate thing that in this society we have to create laws to prevent this type of bad behavior."

Reminded me of what a professor once pointed out in a class, on the difference between Confucianism and Taoism. Essentially, Confucianism is for the young, seeking guidance in life. Taoism is for the old, seeking meaning. But both disciplines grew up under the same culture, and Taoism was critical of Confucianism's rules for life (from the Tao Te Ching):

When the great Tao is forgotten,
goodness and piety appear.
When the body's intelligence declines,
cleverness and knowledge step forth.
When there is no peace in the family,
filial piety begins.
When the country falls into chaos,
patriotism is born.
[translator, S. Mitchell]

Every time I hear of someone recommending a rule, by-law, or law to cover some aspect of human behaviour, I think of this, the political closing of the gate once the cows have already gone.

Lori