A Glance At Laws In General And Their Purpose.

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Krishnendu K
Jan 26, 2019   •  2 views

‘The system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.’ This is the definition of law accepted worldwide. It is the laws that prevent the general misconduct happening in a society. The whole process of creating a law and enforcing them is done by three main bodies: legislature, judiciary and executive. Laws can be divided into two based on jurisdictions;

 Civil law jurisdictions: They are basically rules that protect the private rights of citizens. They also provide legal remedies that maybe sought in a dispute. Civil laws cover areas such as family law, contracts law and property law.

 Common law: Here, the judge makes decisions which are considered binding and final.
Laws can also be classified according to their adjudication into criminal law and civil law.
 Criminal law: It deals with matters related to conduct that is considered as harmful or threatening to property, health, safety and moral welfare of people.

 Civil law: It basically deals with resolution of disputes/lawsuits between individuals /organisations.

Laws are an important part of any society because it is the laws that help prevent inconvenience in the proper running of the government and thereby letting people lead a healthy life. Without laws, there would be chaos and confusion. Imagine a situation where there are no traffic rules as an example; it would cause major problems including road accidents costing lives of people. This simple example is enough to let anyone understand why laws are made in the first place.

There are six main functions that a law performs. These are also the basic functions upon which any country runs. They are; to keep the peace, shaping moral standards, promoting social justice, facilitating orderly change, providing a basis for compromise and to help facilitate the plans. These functions evidently help in creating an ideal atmosphere for people to co-exist harmoniously and without harming one another.

As a citizen residing in a country, laws make you feel safe and ensure you that you can live your life in peace and according to your terms (as long as it does not break any laws). It also tells you in a way that you do not have to be scared of any other citizen or an organisation as long as you are not breaking any laws. This is exactly why laws cover all platforms and exists at all levels; regional, state and national.

While at certain times we feel that laws are restricting us, we should also understand this world can get even scarier without those restrictions. There also chances that the weaker (in any way, economical/physical/social etc.) people will get oppressed and exploited. So basically laws can be considered as this guidebook for minimally acceptable behaviour which helps us live in a better way in a society.