Purpose And Power Of Authority Read Online Free PDF Page A

misunderstandings of authority by reinforcing the erroneous ideas we have absorbed. Again, much of what we’ve experienced has built up a picture of authority in our minds and hearts that is intrusive or frightening. If a whole race or generation fears authority, it’s because somewhere in their collective past, they experienced pain, discomfort, or dissatisfaction as a result of an apparent authority.
Opinions about Authority
    People’s widely different experiences with authority in our contemporary world, as well as in previous eras, have led to quite diverse opinions about it. That is why, if you browse quotations about authority on the Internet and in books, you will find as opposite views as Oscar Wilde’s seeming rejection of it—“Authority is quite degrading”—to Albert Einstein’s ironic observation—“To punish me for my contempt for authority, fate made me an authority myself”—to Daniel Webster’s passionate warning: “[I]f we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
    It seems as if people divide into certain camps when it comes to authority. To some, it represents order and structure. To others, it represents a lack of freedom of thought and action. Authority is considered by many to be a negative force that stifles people’s freedom—or at best a necessary evil to keep life functioning.
    Yet authority in its true form is not stifling or restrictive. Genuine authority creates an environment for people to think, to dream, to discover and refine their gifts and talents, to build others up, and to develop themselves fully. Authority has therefore been hijacked, and the result is that it has been misconceived, misdefined, and misrepresented across the globe.
Swimming with the Sharks
    I was born in the tropical, sun-drenched Islands of the Bahamas in the Caribbean, which is considered by millions to be surrounded by the most beautiful waters in the world. Obviously, water activities are very popular. I sometimes like to go spearfishing in the ocean, and I’ve seen sharks a number of times. Whenever I’m underwater and see a shark, however, I still get chills all over, especially if the shark is larger than I am! There have been a few times when all indications have pointed to the fact that the shark was very interested in me, and I felt totally helpless.
    One time, I had speared a fish, the fish was still moving on my spear, and a shark came by and apparently decided, “You’ve stolen my meal.” Let me tell you, I was very accommodating. I dropped the spear as I thought, Mr. Shark, you can have the fish and the spear. At the same time I was thinking this, I was swimming away. I knew that if the shark wanted to overtake me and get a piece of me, he could do so without any problem. Why? I was not born to swim, so it was not as easy for me to move through the water as it was for him. It took much more effort on my part than it took the shark because swimming is one of his natural abilities, and the ocean is his natural domain. It is his realm of authority. Sharp teeth are also a part of his authority. It’s an authority I am aware of and respect, and so I protect myself accordingly.
    There are many stories and proven cases of shark attacks in which many people have been maimed and others have lost their lives. Do we or can we blame the sharks for these incidences, or do we accept them as a natural result of the authority within nature at work? It seems that the shark considers his behavior natural and well within his authority. In essence, we are trespassing on his domain of authority, and that violation results in a natural display of his authority.
    It is interesting to note that we do not condemn all sharks