Why Should We Obey?

Obedience is an important trait for a person to develop in spite of his or her age. Rules have been put in place to protect the integrity and safety of the American people, these rules are called laws. If you obey the driving laws, you are protecting yourself, your passengers, and the other people on the road from potentially lethal accident. If you don't obey driving laws and decide to run a stop sign, you could damage property or even kill someone. Some people feel like rules are just restrictions, and restrictions just ruin their fun, but in fact, I feel that restrictions can make life more enjoyable. Let me explain: my friend had given in to peer pressure and decided to try a cigarette even though his parents warned him against any kinds of drugs; well he got addicted and now that he's decided to quit, he's not doing very well. He's going through withdrawal symptoms and relapses frequently and I can see the pain written on his features...all that for one stupid cigarette. If he had followed his parents' rule in the first place then he wouldn't be in this mess now.

In my own life, I have realized as I've grown up that my parents are doing everything they can to ensure that I grow up strong, healthy, and wise. I've discovered that they don't just make up rules to bug me, but because they want me to be safe. I'm old enough to realize that I don't know everything and that I need to trust the rules even though I may not understand them yet because they will protect me from unseen dangers.

I feel that while everyone needs to learn obedience, it is even more vital for an adult to have this virtue because and adult's actions have farther reaching effects upon the community and loved ones. If a husband is not faithful and obedient to his wedding vows, or chooses to dabble in the dangerous territory of pornography, it will destroy his marriage, tear apart his family and cause extreme pain to all of the members of it. Adults are not only responsible for taking care of themselves, they are also responsible for securing the future of their posterity. Obedience to the laws of the land and God's commandments are vital to setting a good example and leading others to do good.

The last point I want to make is that blind obedience is no substitute for using your judgment to determine what you should or should not do. Blind obedience puts your life in the hands of another imperfect being which, unless you trust them, is a careless mistake. When somebody gives you a rule to follow you should a) determine if you trust that this person has good intentions and has your best interest in mind and b) be aware of the consequences should you not obey that rule. Sometimes people will call a person a mindless sheep because they follow the rules, but in reality a sheep can be more intelligent than we are because it applies smart principles of trust to obedience. A sheep trusts its shepherd and will do anything for him. That sheep is wise to do so because the shepherd will scare away predators and feed the sheep and all the shepherd asks in return is for its wool. In the animal kingdom, the only creatures that don't obey any rules are the sick or insane ones. Animal instinct is based upon survival, therefore they must follow the rules in order to survive. Let that serve as a reminder to all of us that obedience to rules is in our best interest.