The Power Of Obedience

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The human mind is always changing. It has been known that change is inevitable, but what if there was something forcing this change? Society’s struggles are becoming more challenging, forcing the human mind to focus on one thing: obedience. Obedience merges a group together, all believing in or participating in one idea. This is very evident as the soldiers in A Few Good Men all have the same agenda to follow orders, regardless of what that order may be-that is their code. However, this obedience prohibits individuals to participate in their own unique actions and thoughts. If people can’t think for themselves, then the obedience to the higher power is what drives human minds to change in a similar way. As today’s terrorist attacks and wars …show more content…

This is described in a citizen’s point of view as: “As long as I am obedient to the power of the state, the church, or public opinion, I feel safe and protected…my obedience makes me part of the power I worship” (Fromm 127). However, this creates a dangerous unity of a belief. This power is authority. Authority is anyone or anything with the capability to determine the outcome of issues/decisions over a group of people. The most poignant authority figure of today is the government. The government gets stricter based upon the needs of their people; however, with terrorist attacks, the government is the main entity people turn to. Everyone bands together and goes along with the government, but what if the government is wrong? What if the government’s idea of safety is not in the best interest of their people? Disobedience may be the only answer to some of the problems in today’s society. However, since disobedience has such a negative essence in society, most people try to stay away from it. The people who have made the biggest differences have been the most disobedient. With that said, obedience could be the biggest roadblock in the future of safety. Overall, “what is …show more content…

People tend to focus on their obedience to authority, thus disregarding their true feelings to what they’re doing. Obedience can go against morality, but people still think they are doing the right thing because they are obeying authority. Over time, people neglect to realize the actual act that they are doing. In A Few Good Men, Downey and Dawson commit murder, but because they are obeying orders they do it anyways. People are losing their minds trying to obey a higher power. In a recent study conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it was proven that one in five United States citizens experience a mental illness in one given year. Along with that, almost 25% of American soldiers have a severe mental illness from their services. Their constant obedience leads them to take their issues out in their jobs, resulting in dehumanizations. Robert Okin, a professor of psychiatry at University of California-San Francisco explains this by saying, “the abuse became an inexcusable way of working off their [soldiers’] rage, anxiety about their own safety, and their sense of helplessness” (Milgram 77). Dehumanization is an outlet to all of the soldiers’ issues. When they don't want to resolve their own issues or get help, soldiers have a lot of built up anger. This built up anger needs to be released. However, if they disobey and have an episode, they face

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