The Chinese have a saying. Actually, the Chinese have many sayings. One particular saying goes like this:‘國有國法，家有家規’(guo you guofa, jia you jiagui), 'a country has its law, a home its house rules'. Fancy that? And it is of great relevance to what I want to say today.

People are governed by rules. Why?

Because some quarters could not appreciate freedom. They abuse it. They would take advantage of a condition, exploit its weakness for themselves but at the expense of the others. Without rules and regulations, there would arise conflict of interests. So, rules are there to regulate people's behaviour and better facilitate human interactions. Of course, man-made rules can be changed to reflect its relevance.

But there is another kind of rule which cannot be compromised - the law of nature. If we go against the way of nature, we suffers. If we follow the course of nature, we prospers.

Thus, in every aspects, there are rules.

There is no such thing as 'total freedom'. Either it's man-made or nature's arrangements, we have learnt the essentials of abiding by the rules and the need to obey the law. It has been so since time immemorial.

I respect 'freedom of expression'. I believe in 'free speech'.

However, not many people know how to differentiate what is right and what is privilege. Some may think it is their right to say whatever they want, do whatever they like.

Right is what belong to you. No one can take it away. Privilege is what I give you. I can take it away.

People say opinions are like arses. Everybody has one. Of course, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. That is correct. But that notion has to be applied in the right place, at the right time and to the right people.

XurfNet Braveblog is one of my homes. This is my house. A virtual house. Here, I am the host and you are the guest.

So, I have my own rules too. I have established the law of my web-kingdom. I call it the 'Community Rules'. These rules are specially designed to be applied across my XurfNet domains.

I grant you the privilege to speak freely. You may dispute what I write. You can disagree with what I say. In a debate, a bit of personal abuse is to be expected when people are debating issues about which they feel strongly. Such invective need not be a bad thing. It spices up the debate. But only if it is PART of the debate. Posts which have no purpose other than to be abusive contributes nothing.

You may blast me all you want. You can criticize me for all I care. Preferably, it br reasonable, relevant and founded. But you are not allowed to terrorize my other guests. I will not tolerate any one of my guests while they are in my home, to be blatantly insulted. If you do not respect this 'rule of engagement' which I have set, I can take away your privilege. It is my right to uphold the dignity of all my guests. Likewise, it is also my duty to protect the sanctity and relevance of this blog.

You must be able to distinguish right and privilege. You must learn how to exercise self-restraint so that other people's rights are not impinged. Please have some sensitivity. One of the purposes I created these blog and forum is to encourage intellectual discourse. So, rather than destroy it, let's promote it.

Apart from espousing the spirit of exchanging ideas, please keep this blog free from porn, advertising and spam. You may introduce your personal blog and website, nevertheless.