Standards.

In life, we develop a set of rules for all of our relationships. The ones with our friends. The ones with our famlies. The ones with our teamates. Even our relationsips with our significant others has rules.
My question is, why are these rules formed? Is it so that we can protect ourselves from getting hurt by those around us? Or is it something that is moral based, like if someone does something that does not agree with whatever we think is right, than we automatically think that they are no longer worthy of our time and efforts? Is is something that we come to agree on over time?
A rule is a rule, in my opinion. I have standards for all different sorts of things. Like, if a friend betrays me, and tells a secert about me to someone, anyone for that matter, than I will no longer consider them a friend for that reason.
My rules for dating are much different. Those, are made so that way I don't get hurt, and if i fall too fast for someone, then I could easily catch myself, because I am not following the rules I gave myself.
Another question is, what happens if these rules were made to be broken. Like, the i before e rule. I guess in these cases that I have mentioned, than I guess that there is bound to be some sort of exception somewhere out there. Like in 'He's Just Not That Into You'. The key character said that there is very few exceptions to why the guy hasn't called the girl. Of course, in the end he falls madly in love with the Drew Barrymore, like all chick flicks, but that's a different story.
What if we stopped playing these games with each other, and just were ourselves? What if we said 'screw you' to the wait three days before you call her rule. Or the other pointless rules that we have created over the years? When can we just live freely, without the hassle of following some sort of rule set by society, or the media?