Questioning Authority

"There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust." Klaus Balkenhol

“The Power that comes from being a leader can also be used for evil as well as good. When we assume the benefits of leadership, we also assume ethical

Do you feel that your leaders ever fail to use their authority in the way you believe they should? James Madison believes that government is power, and since humans are in charge of the right, it always has the ability of being misused. Communities revert to chaos when the authority figures abuse the influence they have. Madison’s argument is correct because people in general need strong rulers, so if the privilege given to the superiors is exploited, society begins to break down.

The essays that comprise Traditional Classics on Leadership present varying notions of authority and of challenging authority. This is largely due to the fact that this manuscript is comprised of essays from 31 contributors, ranging from well-known political theorists to some of the more salient voices for individuality that the world has known. Still, there are some points of commonalities in these essays that present a synthesized viewpoint of the concept of challenging authority.

Remember, remember, the fifth of November; we all know the rhyme but how well do we really know the story? In the essay I will explore how the plotters were punished and why they were punished so severely.

   "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." (Robert Frost) In today's world there is no tolerance for the individual thinker. It is not acceptable to modify or bend the rules of society. Society is civilized, and to be civilized there must be rules, regulations and policies that prevent. Individuality leads to a mess of chaos. To prevent disorder, institutions in society keep these rules strongly enforced. Man creates these institutions in order to provide convenience and stability in everyday life. Then instead of man running these institutions, the institutions begin to reverse the role of power and

•This society is meant to be an illusion of a perfect utopian world where everyone is equal and everything is managed.

Since the beginning of humanity, there have always been the rulers, and the ruled. The rulers have always been the government, and the ruled has always been the people. One would believe that the government would be truthful and be interested in their people's well being, but clearly, this is not the case. In fact, lies are often more common than the truth. Facts are changed based on the governing party's current needs. The government wants to control their people, to have an unquestioning, thoughtless population that make them more powerful, as this is their main priority. As a generalisation, the government is more interested in their well-being than that of the people who drive it.

I feel very strongly about this subject because a system that is held at such high power is letting many people down. There are a lot changes that the system could make to further improve the way the system works.

America is more corrupt than some would like to admit. Concerning the government, very powerful people have a tendency to abuse their power. This affects the citizens greatly by not having a fair system of equality. The corrupted are only out for personal gain, therefore, they manage to not do their job properly. The infamous President Nixon, as just one of many great examples. Despite the corruption, there are many figures of society that do great things for the people, but not enough to make a lasting impact. The growing issues of murder, robbery, abuse of illegal substances, and violence, have infected the streets of our country. With the idea that such things exist, why have there not

In the event that the government turns out to be tyrannical, the people have the power and the right to overthrow it and bring appropriate changes for the good of all. However, this change has to be instituted rationally (Riley, 1990).

One reason why a perfect society can never be made is due to the fact that even though it might be set up perfectly, we cannot change the fact that people are imperfect. Any bit of imperfection is all it takes to cause something to turn from perfect to imperfect. One writer said about utopian societies, “Even with such optimism, the flawed individual is still inserted into otherwise improved societies" (Hough 1). This quote explains how the society in general is improved, but the people are not. Governments have tried to change the way people think to create perfect humans. People are influenced to think exactly how the government wants them to, and teaches them from a young age to love the Party and the government in which they live. Their right to make their own assessment is being taken away. It is true that governments are often successful in brainwashing the majority of the population; however, they can never control

Authority cannot exist without obedience. Society is built on this small, but important concept. Without authority and its required obedience, there would only be anarchy and chaos. But how much is too much, or too little? There is a fine line between following blindly and irrational refusal to obey those in a meaningful position of authority. Obedience to authority is a real and powerful force that should be understood and respected in order to handle each situation in the best possible manner.

Today our society raises us to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and that the people that are disobedient are almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but it is not true. Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority. In Stanley Milgram’s "Perils of Obedience" experiment, his studies showed that sixty percent of ordinary people would agree to obey an authority figure even to the point of severely hurting another human being. (Milgram 347).

Authority is defined as the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. Coincidentally, authority is found virtually everywhere, including in religious establishments. An issue has arose in many different circumstances, and continues to create religious debates all over the world. The issue is the amount of authority a community of faith should have over its members. Although many argue that this authority is needed in religious establishments, I disagree completely. I believe that a community of faith should possess no authority over its members. There are many of reasons why I think this, and I will soon discuss them. There are several advantages of a community of faith attaining great authority, while there is also an array of disadvantages. Likewise, there are plenty of advantages of a community of faith attaining no authority, while there are multiple disadvantages, as well. However, I believe that numerous benefits can occur when a community of faith attains a lack of authority over its members.