March 2026, Anyway…
Recent events have had me thinking quite a bit about the idea of Chesterton’s Fence. For those unfamiliar, the principle simply states that someone should not remove a fence until they understand why it was put there in the first place. It comes from a piece by the writer G.K. Chesterton and is an apt metaphor for many things that happen in society. There is no lack of people these days wanting to undo, make fundamental changes to, or simply throw out all manner of traditions, regulations, ordinances, norms, laws, funding, institutions, or systems in general.
Change can certainly be good, and there are even times where a fresh start could even be better. To not allow any change within society would be stagnation. Chesterton’s Fence does not tell us that the fence in question should not be moved or removed, but that it’s purpose and design should be well considered first, lest its removal solves one problem but creates a dozen more.
For instance, if someone was seeking leniency on a particular code or ordinance, it may be best to first read and understand that regulation, why it has such requirements and guardrails, and to see if it is possible to first work within them. Perhaps, if there is some stifling aspect to the code that makes it more a hindrance than a good, then it could be changed for the better and not just benefit the one person but everyone else interacting with the code. But they would have to actually read the code or ordinance first. They would have to understand the reasoning behind its guard rails. This also makes their appeal for change appear more well considered, and would therefore have a better chance of it garnering support.
So before you go making sweeping changes, check to make sure you have asked the important questions; Why was this the way it was in the first place? What problems did this attempt to solve? Will those problems come back if I make this change, or am I proposing a better solution to those very problems? This doesn’t apply only to politics and society, but also to ones personal life.
