There are many rules that govern our behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs. These rules come from our religions, our governments, and our cultures. In countries around the world there are laws against doing bad things like killing people or stealing. Different cultures have ethical standards that their members are expected to follow. It is important that we obey these rules to maintain some degree of order in our society. That being said, the need for disobedience is just as great as the need for obedience. .
Good obedience is a necessary part of life. In his essay Opinions and Social Pressures, Solomon Asch writes, "Life in society requires consensus as an indisputable condition - (315). Obedience to the law and a general agreement on what is right and wrong or safe and unsafe is an important factor in how we live our everyday lives. One example of good obedience is obeying the laws and social rules against driving drunk. Drunk drivers cause many deadly crashes, and the penalties for getting caught can be costly. If people were able to drive drunk without any fear of repercussion, we would certainly see a rise in deadly car accidents. Another example of good obedience, though it may seem very minor, is obeying traffic lights. If people didn't obey the laws that say you stop on red and go on green, there would be a lot more car accidents, not to mention a lot more road rage. .
Not all obedience is good, however. Throughout history and around the world, there have been times when the person or people in power have terribly misused their authority. An example of this is all of the people who followed Hitler during the Holocaust. As the leader of a nation, Hitler had power over a large number of people. He was able to use these people and their blind obedience to attempt to accomplish his own sadistic goals. Millions of people suffered and died because of his abuse of power. A more modern example could be Osama Bin Laden and his followers.
