'What Simple Rule Would Fix The World?' Someone Asked — Here Are The Best Answers

Ashley Hunte
The Earth at night seen from space, showing the lights of various cities.
Unsplash | NASA

I think it might be a bit of an understatement to say that the world has a lot of problems. It would be nice if we could solve them all overnight, but I guess that would be too much to ask for.

For the people of Reddit, they were asked how a simple rule could fix the world. Their answers were pretty good, all things considered.

"Don't leave plastic laying around." - TheDarkSoulHunter

A body of water with plastic floating just below the surface.
Unsplash | Naja Bertolt Jensen

You'd think that would go without saying, but there are a lot of people who still need to be reminded of this. Ideally, though, we'd just have less plastic in general.

"Communication is key." - CattaChonk

Two women sitting at a table while having a conversation.
Unsplash | Christina @ wocintechchat.com

One of my least favorite tropes in movies and stuff is when a whole conflict happens because of a misunderstanding or miscommunication. Like, just talk to the people in your life!

"Use your turn signal(s) properly." - futilelord

A car driving in low light with a turn signal on.
Unsplash | Krzysztof Hepner

I firmly believe that the world would be a better place if people used their turning signals. We need to stop letting people make random turns or lane changes without clearly displaying their intentions!

"Leave it better than you found it." - Narcoid

Several clean plates with different colored patterns on them resting on a drying rack.
Unsplash | Tracey Hocking

This makes me think of when you bring a dish over to a friend's house, and they return it to you sparklingly clean a few days later. It's just the decent thing to do.

"Don't be a jerk." - curiouspigeon09

A pile of rocks. One rock is painted yellow and has the words "bee kind" and a picture of a bee drawn on it.
Unsplash | Mary Oloumi

You never know what somebody else is going through. Being mean to them for no reason isn't going to make you or them feel any better. Especially if the person you're being a jerk to happens to be working retail. Just saying.

"Wash hands before eating." - Lex20d

Two hands lathering soap over a sink basin that has the tap water running.
Unsplash | Mélissa Jeanty

This one is for all the nasty people out there. Washing your hands before you eat isn't going to kill you. In fact, it'll probably keep you a little bit healthier. And it's not like it'll take that long.

"Obviously making daylight savings [sic] permanent." - ObviousInstruction18

A sunrise in a clear sky overlooking a golden field.
Unsplash | Federico Respini

I'm honestly still tired from when we set the clocks forward. I think it's time we just made daylight saving time permanent, since that's the time we use for most of the year (in case you didn't know, we're in DST right now).

"Don't be greedy." - ruka_k_wiremu

coins falling out of a jar that has been turned onto its side.
Unsplash | Josh Appel

We as humans have a tendency to go out and get a bunch of stuff. And the more stuff we have, the more we want (especially money). We could probably all do to give away some of the stuff we have, but don't need (including money).

"Clean up after yourself." - __--__7

A hand in a pink rubber glove holding a yellow spray bottle on top of a mint background.
Unsplash | JESHOOTS.COM

This is kind of like the rule where you leave things better than you found it, except with a bit more personal responsibility. I think you could take this literally (don't be a slob), but also figuratively (don't be a jerk).

"Mind your own business." - phobos77

A woman wearing headphones and going through her phone.
Unsplash | dusan jovic

The world would definitely be better if people stopped trying to get in other people's business. As much as drama can be kind of addicting, it's probably better to leave it to TV shows.

"STOP TEXTING AND DRIVING." - infinte_improb42

A man holding his phone while in the driver's seat of a car,
Unsplash | Alexandre Boucher

This is... already a rule, but it feels like people still don't follow it. There are so many ways to access your phone while driving that don't require you to actually pick it up and risk crashing into someone else.

"We don't have to agree, but should get along anyways." - flashpardon

Judges on Masked Singer disagreeing.
Giphy | The Masked Singer

You're not going to agree with people 100% of the time. And that's perfectly okay! As long as you can understand that other people have different lives and perspectives than you do, then you can still get along with them!

"Slower traffic to the right, please." - dansots

Several cars on a road in traffic.
Unsplash | Kathy

Look, a lot of these rules are driving related because people seem to have zero etiquette on the road. Like, if you're in the passing lane and you're driving slow, you need to leave. Seriously.

"Actually stopping at a stop sign." - AlexanderOdom

A red octagonal stop sign.
Unsplash | Joshua Hoehne

I think people are too impatient while driving. You don't need to roll through a stop sign. Just stop. Take in the sights. Have a little patience. It'll all be okay.

"Listen more, talk less." - TryToHelpPeople

Hamilton and Burr
Giphy

This one's for all the people who will say, "you're so quiet," but then won't actually give you a chance to speak. Just let people speak, and you might even learn something new.

"Speak honestly. It would shatter almost everything as we build a lot of foundations on lies with good intentions hoping it works out in the end." - -Sairax-

Three people having a conversation.
Unsplash | Alexis Brown

This is actually pretty true. Even if we don't really mean to, we end up lying a lot. It would probably be a lot better if we were all more honest with one another.

"Return your grocery carts to the proper place at stores." - OXFreeman

A cart corral full of shopping carts that are neatly lined up in three rows.
Unsplash | Markus Spiske

Did you know that your car can get damaged by an unattended shopping cart if it gets caught in some wind? Because it can. Leaving a cart in the wrong spot is bad for more reasons than it being impolite.

"Read before you sign/comment/protest." - cosmicspacebees

A hand holding a pen over a piece of paper with text on it.
Unsplash | Cytonn Photography

Yeah, you should always know what you're getting into. I feel like a lot of people will protest against things without getting all the facts. And of course, no one reads the terms of service when we really should.

"Don't use more resources than what the earth is capable of renewing." - DeathSpiral321

A line of wind turbines along a golden field that overlooks mountains and a cloudy sky.
Unsplash | Raimond Klavins

We as people tend to be pretty wasteful. Plus, we use a lot of energy that isn't renewable. The world would literally be better off if we didn't contribute to so much pollution.

"Be excellent to each other." - pnotar

Bill and Ted saying to be excellent to each other.
Giphy

This is in the same vein as not being a jerk, but with the added bonus of Bill and Ted.

It's more or less the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Kindness can't really hurt you, and it isn't even that much of an inconvenience. So, why not take a bit of time to brighten someone else's day?