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Originally Posted by Root  You have to realise that there's a difference between respecting authoritee, and agreeing with them. I believe that it's one's duty to question the "people in charge" if you believe them to be wrong, or at fault about something - as members of a free society. That's democracies greatest strength, along with the right to (nonviolent) protest.
However, I'm a strong believer in the power of discipline in getting over challenges, and such. It comes from within, the greatest power a person could ever hope for. |
See, that penguin agrees with me. Respect the authority, but question them (politely) if you have just cause. In retrospect, respect for authority was high before this century due to there being severe consequences for disrespect. For example, insulting the King in any way would have resulted in execution in medieval England. The tyrants of old forced people to "respect" them or to face punishment. Whether or not this was real respect is questionable.
I think that ever since democracy was adopted widely there has been a steady decline in respecy for authority. Don't get me wrong, democracy is great, but some people tend to abuse the freedoms given to them by democracy. This is where self-discipline comes in. In my opinion, the freedom to challenge authority should only be used if there is a genuine concern for something. Yet we see many of our generation dispise authority, not respecting them, challenging authority just because they can.
People with self-discipline learn to be patient. They are able to resist temptation to be rebellious. Many social problems (drinking, drugs, crime) are caused by the desire to challenge authority. The self-disciplined, in contrast, act rationally, not chosing to harm themselves, not challenging authority for the sake of it...