There can be no obedience between like minds, only compliance.
Likewise, to want to be obedient reflects a tendency of the mind to stray towards dependence – an unwillingness to get independent – stand by itself. Before I lead you further into this tumultous terrain,  I simply am arguing that the shackles of dependency must be thrown away and, one must let the mind oscillate, learn and come to its own unique equilibrium without seeking dependence, only guidance. .

No independent mind can want to remain obedient – trying to convince and getting convinced are rational metamorphosis. But, to want to obey is to give in to irrational thought.

When thinking ends, subservience begins.

It is not anything but ignorance that is the misery of mankind. An interesting caption in a social media post read “Employers understand capitalism, employees don’t” and how true! Likewise at every step in our lives, whenever we fail to give heed to independent thought, and are ready to obey we are soaking ourselves in ignorance.

To budge down to authority in terms of age, status,wealth or any other metric is the standard recipe to embrace the hideous tendency of being servile. It takes questioning, comprehension and convincing to comply, but only mounting pressure to get subdued.

Now, subservience I speak of here is not the one which exists outside family, or friends, or the circle of interaction. Defiance of subservience must begin at home. It is unfortunate that our culture has given room to interpret subservience as respect, and quite ironically the ones who demand such respect deserve no respect at all! Bargaining into one’s mind, by arguing and convincing are the only means of gaining respect – No short cuts, or bureaucratic privilege to respect.

Experience, and not age deserves respect in people.

Intimidating another person with power, status or age is extortion of the pretension of respect and never genuine respect at all. Admiration is the simplest manifestation of respect, as I see and experience it. I fail to understand how people could miss this and demand something so obscure and feudal as obedience!

If we analyse further, this notion of respect gauged as obedience has a grand history of feudalism. Landlords expecting their laborers to be servile to them, and this contorted notion is carried on as respect! Like all superstitions, this is another stagnating belief which our system expects and if you are not servile you are arrogant is the brand given!

So, think before you seek and grant respect!