Any outdoor educator knows about rules. Outdoor educators spend a considerable amount of time at conferences talking about them: risk management plans, accepted safety practices, and first aid protocols. You name it, they've got a rule. When a Buddhist friend asked if rules really made programs safer, the author's first response was yes. His friend responded that no list of rules makes a program any safer. One must learn the rules, then go beyond the rules and build a storehouse of knowledge and experience in the sphere of activity that the rules cover. In recognition of the fact that understanding is a step above rote memory, the author urged his friend to elaborate. He stated that an individual's true well-being is not the product of rules but of being part of a culture of safety. A culture of safety is one in which everyone plays a part: managers, trip leaders, and participants. It is not based on rules, but rather on the concept of participatory safety. It's a simple concept but powerful: members of the group watch out for each other. That's very different from the typical situation where one leader makes all the decisions and is largely in charge of safety. Outdoor programs should cultivate a culture of safety in which trip safety is the concern of the entire group, not just one person. (TD)