Being reasonable V. enforcement by law

Following on from my last post, it's been suggested that in many cases it's OK to break the law if you're 'reasonable'.  I understand the logic behind this - it can't make any difference travelling at just a few mph over the speed limit, throwing a biodegradable item down can't be littering, cycling on the pavement is OK if you're careful of pedestrians rights.

Yes, fine.  But everyone has their own standards of what is reasonable.  Indeed if we were all reasonable, there would be no need for any laws at all.  It's not reasonable to take things that aren't yours.  It's not reasonable to drive a car without well maintained brakes or without the means to compensate a victim of your driving errors.

Laws are there to establish a minimum level of what is reasonable behaviour.  You may disagree with some of them, but if you break the laws you dislike you can't complain with others breaking laws you do agree with.  Going back to my bugbear of illegal cyclists on the pavements, many of them start out meaning to be responsible and careful of pedestrians, but familiarity and 'getting away with it' leads to increased speeds and risk taking.  Same with car drivers speeding I suppose.

I'll just repeat that.  Laws are there to establish a MINIMUM level of what is reasonable behaviour.  To create a pleasant environment for all of us, decent citizens need to go far beyond the minimum and be polite and considerate to their fellow human beings.  Remember that car you're cutting up to reach your destination a few seconds sooner contains a person just like you who is going to be stressed and annoyed by your behaviour.

If we lived at a density of one person per square mile you could do whatever you like without upsetting anyone.  I seem to remember experiments in the seventies where rats were put in overcrowded situations resulting in stress and aggression - very similar to what is seen in overcrowded urban environments now.

We need to either shoot half the population (the mathematical solution) or realise that we are ultimately harming ourselves by indulging in selfish, inconsiderate and possibly criminal behaviour.  In a crowded environment your every action affects other people.  Play nice.