True wisdom. What you tolerate you get more of. If your society lets thieves slide because it costs more to prosecute them, you get a society filled with thieves.
True story: For a time in Roman history before the upper echelon become navel-gazing California cuckolds before there was California, you could usually get out of bad situations by informing criminals "civis Romana sum." (I am a Roman citizen)
The reason was it didn't matter if it cost the Roman economic system 100 times whatever a citizen would contribute in taxes throughout their lives, they'd send the fucking army after you with a pile of paid informants ahead of them, they WOULD find you, and they'd literally crucify you. If what you did was heinous enough they'd find your whole family and do them as well.
Not because they were cruel or got joy from overreacting, it was because understanding that A) Rome is effectively omnipotent as far as your barbarian ass is concerned, and B) you make friends with Roman citizens, you do business with Roman citizens, but you absolutely do not harm Roman citizens was a firm basis for a peaceful coexistence that is also profitable and amicable for all parties.
True wisdom. What you tolerate you get more of. If your society lets thieves slide because it costs more to prosecute them, you get a society filled with thieves.
True story: For a time in Roman history before the upper echelon become navel-gazing California cuckolds before there was California, you could usually get out of bad situations by informing criminals "civis Romana sum." (I am a Roman citizen)
The reason was it didn't matter if it cost the Roman economic system 100 times whatever a citizen would contribute in taxes throughout their lives, they'd send the fucking army after you with a pile of paid informants ahead of them, they WOULD find you, and they'd literally crucify you. If what you did was heinous enough they'd find your whole family and do them as well.
Not because they were cruel or got joy from overreacting, it was because understanding that A) Rome is effectively omnipotent as far as your barbarian ass is concerned, and B) you make friends with Roman citizens, you do business with Roman citizens, but you absolutely do not harm Roman citizens was a firm basis for a peaceful coexistence that is also profitable and amicable for all parties.
We still have this. Now you just have to say "I'm trans".