The Spirit vs. the Letter

Found this from February 2013:

Which is more important: the spirit or the letter of the law?  On one hand, laws and regulations have been created to protect and serve citizens to the greatest extent allowed and based on the knowledge, beliefs, and traditions of the time they were written.  On the other hand, and especially regarding laws with significant gray area, as well as those that pose a greater impact on the needs of the few vs. the beliefs of the many, don't we have the responsibility as citizens to uphold mutually-beneficial regulations and disregard those that have become out-dated?

In the paper this morning, an editorial sparked my interest in the topic.  A school district had recently adopted a policy regarding the residency of administrators, requiring they live within the district.  This formalized a practice for the past several years, and the school board decided to continue granting a waiver to allow one principal to live outside the area.  Now, apparently while discussing it, the superintendent had raised three points for discussion: the importance of administrator residency, the importance of continuity in leadership, and the importance of honoring contractual obligations.

With that in mind, one board member opted to write a personal editorial, that in his eyes, the last point was the most important, and voted against the waiver on the grounds that living in the district was the rule, and rules must be followed.  Indeed, another letter was written to the paper, expressing her disappointment that more board members didn't vote against the waiver: "I am disappointed that only three School Board members showed commitment, integrity, and knowledge to vote based on the rules in place.  This is leadership.  These are the kind of people that are truly responsible..."

Personally, I find the views of these editorial-writers to be short-sighted and far too rigid to allow for growth and progress.  Neither address the situation of the school, the performance of the teachers or students, of the relationship the administrator has within the community.  Their over-emphasis on the letter of law ignores a significant amount of data necessary to make an informed decision.  

As we weigh any option prior to making a decision, aren't we almost required to consider all aspects?  Don't we have that responsibility, specifically when our decision affects people beyond ourselves, to look at the larger picture?  Now, I could rattle off a laundry list of past examples of the letter of the law becoming out of touch, if not downright immoral, but I think this one example is enough to keep our attention on the issue at hand: do we look at what is written or consider if it's right?

I found this quote last week, and I think I'll be using it more and more:

Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when it's the only one you have.
-Emile Chartier