Social Contract

contract (n): an agreement between two or more parties for the doing or not doing of something specified.
contract (adj.): under contract; governed or arranged by special contract: a contract carrier.
contract (v): to assign (a job, work, project, etc.) by contract: The publisher contracted the artwork.

To me, a contract is something that two or more people agree to in a formal manor. It is more serious then just a promise between friends, and therefore holds more consequences if broken. Contracts usually have a series of deals and actions that are agreed upon. Social contracts are the unspoken rules of society. They are the rules that everyone follows because we know that they outline what is acceptable and what isn't. If I had to include a social contract for everyone that I interact with, it would include the following things:

- Honesty (I know that this is unlikely, but if it were a society that I had control of, I would have everyone be honest with each other)
- Good hygiene (No one likes smelly people...ever.)
- Respect other people's boundaries (I have a personal bubble and, just like most people, I do not like it to be invaded)
- Don't steal, murder, cheat, etc (These are the basics of every society. Why people feel the need to break these simple rules, we will never know)
- Loyalty to the ones you love (This doesn't necessarily mean family, though they should be included)
- Care (In a perfect society, people should actually care for each other, and be conscious of the effects of their actions)

These are the rules that I would hope for. I feel that if everyone thought about what they were doing then these rules could actually be followed. However, in today's society, I feel like I might have asked for too much in the aforementioned contract.