Surely more than one person will hesitate a bit before answering this question, since it could be taken as a written confession of something wrong we did in the past. But we have to admit that it’s a good question, because it makes us reflect on whether we’ve ever found ourselves in such a situation. At least, that’s what I experienced when I read it.

Let’s also begin by saying that not everything legal is morally correct, and many bad things are legal. However, societies base their order on compliance with the law, and whether we like it or not, we must obey it.

I don’t recall a single situation in my life where I unconsciously broke the law, but consciously, yes. Some might be surprised at my lack of shame in admitting this, but let’s be honest—who has never run a red light, sped up a process with a small bribe, or driven with a bit more alcohol in their system than allowed? You see my point.

The truth is that all of us, at some point in our lives, have knowingly committed these and other seemingly harmless infractions. And that’s what sets us apart from other societies: we commit these actions in front of our children, and they learn that the law can be bent to suit our convenience. It’s those small transgressions that lead to bigger issues, creating societies where corruption becomes part of everyday life.

It may sound idealistic to imagine a society without these kinds of infractions, but such societies do exist—Japan, Norway, Iceland, or New Zealand, for example. And that’s precisely why they are countries where happiness levels are so much higher than in the rest of the world.