Certainly, a rule can become cold legalism. But a rule simply acknowledges that to live the way we want to live, humans need something with more backbone than in-the-moment willpower can provide. We can draw immense help from commitments that provide railings for our real-time decisions. Within these mapped-out boundaries, we are actually more free to be and do what deep down we most desire.
So what would a rule look like for our relationship with technology today? I suspect it will appear a bit different for everyone. But whatever the details, the rule would allow us to set basic parameters for when, where and how we use our technology. We can harness technology’s strength without it dictating the terms.
