Are You Able to Resist Authority?

Submitted by Imane Khaddouch 



The picture shows a huge number of civil egyptians who manifest
against the police who try to arrest them. The civilians are without
weapons and not fear from authority. It is a real illustration about
 the rebellion against the unfair regimen.



     A human being is a sociable individual who is created to interact inside a complex socio-cultural environment. Since the early centuries, humankind tended to live in group of individuals and shared with them the taste of cooperative life.  In the absence of law, only power, called authority today, can be a substitute of rules; therefore, minorities and weak individuals cannot survive in these societies. As today, many nations, especially in the third world, are struggling to maintain a basic standard of living because they cannot manage their destinies. These nations are living in dramatic circumstances; however, their leaders enjoy a luxurious life and own huge accounts in foreign countries such as Switzerland. The manifestations that are seen in the media in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt are a normal rebellion against unfair authority. Indeed, most people find resisting authority as assort of madness, even if it is hurtful for them; in contrast, others are brave enough to disobey it whatever the circumstances are.

As Martin Luther King said in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Otherwise, the justice and the injustice never can be present together. Martin Luther is a good example of an honest man who resisted a powerful regimen that segregates African American people during a sensitive period of the history of the United States, and today his dream becomes a truth. His rebellion against slavery contributes to change an important part of the American constitution “All men are created equal;” however, he couldn’t survive longer to live the glory of his dream.  Martin Luther King was taken prisoner because of his believes and his claimants that frustrated the leaders at that time. As a result, he is assassinated on April 4, 1968, and today all Americans remember him and celebrate Martin Luther King Day on the third Monday of each January.

Resisting authority is not a simple process, but it can realize good achievements in long term. Some people consider authority a powerful regimen that they cannot disobey because they don’t have the capability to cope its hardship. Personally, I consider authority as a kind of slavery that stoles our dignity, our willingness and our right to decide our destinies. Thus it is shameful to allow to these unlawful regimens to decide instead of us and to ignore our desires as free individuals. But, the question here is, are you able to resist authority? Many people may say: “No, we cannot.” However, the failure of the previous unfair regimen (like the Nazi regimen) proves that it may be possible to say ‘no” for authority. But, what is the cost of this ‘no”? We all know that it may cost our lives, but isn’t it our freedom and dignity are so precious? Of course they are. All nations and minorities deserve to live their lives without following outsider orders. As we say “yes” for authority, we make it more powerful, so we don’t want to give its leaders this honor. Thus the history is full of bright names that defeated injustice regimens and realize good achievements even if they too very long time, such as Martin Luther King dream.

The video below shows the famous speech of Martin Luther King “I Have a Dream.”

People who disobey authority should be proud of themselves because they are good paradigm for the future generations. Many individuals who refuse to obey the abusive organizations realized important achievements which serve the following generations and give them the push to protect their rights later. Even if it is hard for some people to challenge their abusive leaders, others believe that they couldn’t survive without freedom and dignity. As the famous proverb say: “What is taken by force can be restored  only by force,” so let be one voice and say: “No” to unfair authority.