the spirit of the law or the letter of the law

it's been a while since i last had supper with pat and fish. still feels like the good old days, especially the endless poking at each other. some things never change with time.

had a discussion with them regarding one issue at work. seems like i still retain an overly optimistic view of working life after 3 years in the private sector. a statement from fish (yes, surprising that fish) really caught me offguard.

• there are people who follow the spirit of the law - these people obey the laws for the good of society in general.
• there are also people who follow the letter of the law - people who are bounded, most of the time unwillingly, by rules and regulations. they will seek loopholes in these laws to their advantage.

the latter group is the one that we will have to look out for as they will not hesitate to push the blame to others just to get themselves out of trouble. lawyers exists for this case, to either defend/prosecute based on the letter of the law.

i have been lucky so far, most of my colleagues recognize the effort that i put in to resolve issues. i seldom get into trouble for the measures i take to minimize downtime or damage. but wifey, pat and fish are right, i will not be so lucky for the rest of my working life. it's about time i OPEN my eyes to reality and start taking measures to protect the interests of my team.

last night's supper has been a real stress relief. we should do this more often, preferably before the fish gets his driving license.