Are you talking to me?

You would think that large signs saying Fire Ban in Effect would be enough to persuade someone from not lighting an open fire.

Apparently not.

In the past two weeks, in the face of an out of control wildfire, tinder dry conditions and high winds, hundreds of people in the greater Edmonton area still thought it was okay to sit around their backyard fire pit or barbecue in the park or toss cigarette butts out the car window.

I'm not suggesting that people who ignore fire bans are bad people.

I think instead one or both of these things are likely true:

First, some people are so focused on their own world they simply are not paying attention to anything else. Certainly that seemed to be the case for at least one person who said, “I never saw any signs” in spite of them being placed frequently along major traffic routes.

While that be hard to believe, none of us are really paying attention anymore. We are living in an epidemic of distraction, where we miss all kinds of things as we go about our day.

Ever driven somewhere and not really remembered the drive? Yup, me too. Day after day we are crazy busy with our long list of things to get done. We jump back and forth between tasks never really giving anything our full attention. So it's no wonder we can't remember where we put stuff or fail to see something that is right in front of our face.

The second reason may be even more troubling. Sometimes we just don't believe that the rules apply to us. Granted it's probably a small group of people who think a fire ban doesn't apply to them, but consider some of the other things that we do that ignore the law: talking on a cell phone or texting while driving; not shovelling sidewalks in the winter; driving a bit over the speed limit; or leaving dog poop on the sidewalk or in the park.

Maybe you are pretty good at obeying the law. But what about those things that are not laws but part of our social contract? Those widely accepted rules that help us get along better with each other – things that make life work more smoothly and in the end are just decent things to do. Sometimes by our actions we demonstrate that we think they don't really apply to us: taking up more than one parking space; leaving dishes in the sink at work; not putting away our shopping cart; or talking loudly on a cell phone in public

Perhaps in the end we skip the rules as a result of not paying attention. We're busy – what does it really matter if I leave my shopping cart in the middle of a parking space?

It matters.

Whether they are big infractions or small ones, it means that we are disregarding the fact that we are part of a community. We are not living in isolation. It's irritating and frustrating when someone doesn't play by the simple rules. It's dangerous when someone doesn't respect the law.

How do you know if you think the rules don't apply to you? You have a “yes, but” response to your behaviour. You have some rationalization for why you didn't honor the rule or obey the law. A reason that helps justify why you behave the way you do.

Here's the thing. We are all guilty of bending the rules sometimes. Imagine what it would look like if we all paid a little closer attention to our choices. Yes, I'm talking to you.