"It is possible to pass laws that control or place limits on people's behavior, but legislation cannot reform human nature. Laws cannot change what is

"It is possible to pass laws that control or place limits on people's behavior, but legislation cannot reform human nature. Laws cannot change what is in people's hearts and minds."

The issue of whether legislation or human feelings and thought have stronger roles in influencing human nature can be a contentious one. One on hand, laws are the ubiquitous external factor that regulates people's behavior. On the other hand, the individual human feelings and thoughts are the internal factor that drives individual impulses and behavior. I am in agreement with the fact that laws have the ability to control or place limits on people's behavior, but it does not have the ability to change what is in people's minds and hearts.

There is a reason why laws were created; to prevent aberrant behaviors that are detrimental to society. Laws are prevalent in our daily lives; from economic laws, to criminal laws, commercial laws, it is everywhere. There is no denying that laws and legislations control many areas of our lives. However, laws, with its ability to control to place limits on people's behavior does not guarantee its ability to control the individual thought and feelings. To imply that law has the ability to control what is in people's heart and minds is to imply that everyone is uniform in personality and thought. Of course, we know that is not the case. If a law was unfair, surely there would be dissent and disagreement from the people of society. For example, Myanmar is a country that has been ruled over by a strict military regime for the past decade or so. Though the government imposes many laws and regulations that control numerous aspects of the lives of its citizens, it is unable to silence the voice dissent and unhappiness of its people who are calling for a pro-democracy government.

As humans we are driven by a lot of base impulses and emotions—selfishness, greed, to name a few. Laws can control many of those innate impulses, but there are instances where base desires override the constraints of societal legislation. Sometimes those impulses can be biological-- simply an instinct to fight for survival like a beggar so overcome by hunger that he steals bread from bakery store. These impulses can also be on a higher, more calculated level. Take for example the act of corruption in a society. In Malaysia, many anti-corruption laws in an effort to resolve the problem, but it still remains a big issue in the country. Though many are subtle about it, government officials like police officers still find loopholes and solicit bribes from the citizens of the society. Also, consider those with psychological or emotional disorders. If a person is a kleptomaniac, he or she would continue stealing even if they know it is against the law, because it is due to their compulsive nature.

For all these reasons ,I therefore believe that laws cannot change what is in people's hearts and minds. People are not uniform creatures, and laws that are created cannot satisfy everybody. Also, we are driven by basic human impulses and emotions, and actions manifest in reaction to these impulses despite the constraints of laws and legislations.