Doing the right thing and controlling things quickly become a toxic mixture when institutions seek to combine them.

It’s an effort they undertake once something went wrong. Usually, that is, when someone used the system to his advantage. This also means that to a certain extent it was perceived as acceptable to do so. Or on the contrary, that no one saw how it would be acceptable to intervene.

The principles of the system within which people interact had become blurry.

Blurry principles result from change and mean insecurity.

Once there is insecurity in the room there is a tension to reestablish security.

The easy way is to add rules.

Rules create an impression of control with a ready-made solution.

In contrast to principles, they externalize responsibility. They allow individuals to give up responsibility to leaders or external powers. Acting upon rules doesn’t create the need to figure how trusting the other could become a possibility.