How can someone apply personal principles in a practical way, when they contradict societal norms and rules?
Virtually everyone has differing principles, at least when it comes down to a small degree, or specific details within the countless potential scenarios of complex modern day life and society. So this would indicate that the majority of people would have some specifics to their principles which would be in opposition to the rules and regulations of their country and township, as well as the common preferred behavior by the culture and society they live in. So what is the best method for an individual to cohabitate any contradictory principles with the society they abide in?
It seems like there are 3 main potentials for this conflict (besides leaving society entirely);
1) someone can abandon their principles and follow all the rules and common acceptances.
2) Follow their principles by hiding the actions of their principles which contradict society.
3) Follow principles upfront and accept consequences
1) seems like the easiest route for someone that wants to easily avoid conflict, but they would be leaving behind any individuality and meaning for what they believe in. If someone is willing to follow anything that authorities and others in their society happen to say is the actions that everyone should take, then life seems it would be fairly meaningless. When the rules and norms of any location someone happens to be, are circumstantial and could be anything, then the only significance left in life, seems it would be living life like a robot or animal. Humans are technically animals, but that which distinguishes us from animals, is our capability of awareness, comprehension, and consciousness. If someone is not using their conscious ability to comprehend for themselves what is best and important in life, it seems they are disregarding that distinction from animals. Giving up independence and individuality is a dangerous game to give someone else all authority and control, whom could likely only have selfish intents (as happens all the time throughout history and today with people with too much power).
2) seems like a reasonable method for someone to continue to follow their principles, giving meaning in life, and avoid conflict, but would be hiding their principles from the potential for others to benefit from learning from their principles. By hiding actions of principles, someone is not revealing to others what their principles are, and what value there is that the individual believes. This reduces the potential for collaborating ideas and beliefs and information, reducing the potential for others to understand, realize, and adopt valuable principles.
3) is also a reasonable way to continue to follow principles and add meaning to someones life, but also allows much more potential for others to be aware and learn from those principles through observance and understanding. The downside is consequences of being straightforward with principles which contradict rules or regular society acceptances. Consequences to opposing laws can be significant and potentially reduce the individuals potential to share their beliefs, if they for example end up in jail or bankrupt from fines. Consequences from societal norms could be a lack of acceptance, but that reduction of acceptance would only be from people that disagree or ignore the individuals principles. Perhaps this is not such an overall bad thing, as they would still be accepted and be more aware of those who do agree with them.
Perhaps a balance between 2 + 3 could gain the best results overall. Always following principles to have meaning in life, but hiding actions in situations where there will be significant consequences that reduce quality of life and reduce potential to share beliefs and principles for others to benefit from. But in many situations where consequences will be minimal, or have a silver lining (such as removing ppl from their life that dont believe in the same principles, while narrowing down and coming closer to those that do), someone could be forward and outspoken with their principles and reasons why. So overall, if someone doesnt want to reduce meaning in life, by abandoning their values, and wants to allow the option for others to benefit from becoming aware of the meaning, then perhaps creating a balance based on circumstances, between being straight forward and hiding beliefs is a decent method for applying Practical Personal Principles.
