Men live together in society in harmony with each other. There are so many different types of men that want to live in peace. This means, each must give up something for the sake of others and for the sake of the common good. In the Society of Nature, man gradually realised the importance of obedience. Hence they made one among them king whom all would obey unquestioningly. For obedience is the test of worship. Obedience is heaven’s supreme law. The First man (Adam) disobeyed God and lost heaven.
Obedience is a spiritual discipline. It is training for the mind. It builds up character. It teaches self-restraint. It is the parent of harmony and peace. Therefore, it has been said that he who does not know how to obey does not know how to command. Oftentimes the question is raised – whom should we obey? Our first duty, of course, is to obey our parents. In their case, obedience is worship. Next, we should obey the rules of any organization that we join. When on the playground -let us obey our captain.
Are we members of a club? Let us abide by the rules of the club. Have we joined a school? Let us conform to the discipline of the school and obey the teachers who are there for our good. In a State, we are compelled to obey the laws for fear of punishment. But of far greater value to our spiritual life is this voluntary obedience to men and institutions, out of love, reverence or a sense of duty. Obedience often becomes extremely unpleasant because we may have to obey against our will.
The modern philosopher regards human beings as instruments of the social will; man has to subordinate his individual self-will to the discipline of a social order. So we have to learn to subordinate our wills to the superior in command. Finally, we must say something about the highest kind of obedience—that to one’s conscience. From our earliest days, we should teach ourselves to listen to the still soft voice of conscience that is within us. To do this one must be free from passion and self-love; then conscience is the unerring guide.
