Reflection Paper on Responsibility and Obedience

Reflection Paper on Responsibility and Obedience

While we may hear obedience and responsibility used interchangeably, there are some major distinctions that can impact the culture of our classrooms.  Educators teach responsibility when they provide students the space to make mistakes and then together, collaborate on how they can avoid the mistake in the future.  This collaboration is where the powerful learning can take place, which can enhance students' ownership in their own thinking and decision-making.  Research suggests that when students feel ownership, their learning and levels of persistence can increase.  When they effectively teach responsibility, students are better equipped to deal with adversity when they leave our classroom. 

Today our society raises us to believe that obedience is good and disobedience is bad. We are taught that we should all do what we’re told and that the people that are disobedient are almost always bad people. Society tells us this, but it is not true. Most people will even be obedient to the point of causing harm to others, because to be disobedient requires the courage to be alone against authority.

Obedience is a behavior deeply ingrained in us. It is often an impulse that overrides ethics and sympathy. There is much evidence of this, including the Holocaust. It was not just a small group of deranged individuals that committed these atrocities, it was people who had blind obedience to authority. The tendency to locate the source of behavior disorders in a particular person or group underestimates the power of situational forces. We are prone to obey because when we are obedient to an authority it makes us feel safe and protected. We can’t make mistakes because the authority decides for us. We can’t be alone, because the authority watches over us. So, no matter what our behavior is, it can be justified on the ground that we are only following orders, doing what we’re told from above. We can easily be brought to view ourselves as an instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and so we no longer feel responsible for our actions. Unfortunately, that can make us feel responsible to the authority, instead of the content of the orders the authority is giving. Morality is still there, but the focus is changed. We feel the need to perform well, out of obligation or duty, to those who are in authority. This does not necessarily mean that all disobedience is good and all obedience is bad.

When I was a kid, I didn’t much enjoy obeying my parents, and when I became a teenager, that attitude became even more evident. Obeying your parents can seem like a drain on your fun or can even be interpreted as them being cruel. While no parent is perfect, many strive to be loving and consistent. Therefore, obedience is for the child’s own good. The parent can see beyond the immediate “inconvenience” of finishing chores, saving money, or completing homework to the ultimate good those responsibilities bring.
The boundaries and responsibilities parents set up for their children are not meant to be burdensome but to train. To succeed in life, children must learn boundaries, distinguish between right and wrong, and  take on responsibilities. The rules and chores are not a cruel hindrance, but they are the building materials that make for a sound and complete structure in life.
Growing up, you learn that as you get older, you become more responsible for things in life. You need to go to school, pay bills, do good things, work hard for a better future, and do your best to live your life to its fullest.
Sometimes, we choose to exclude some of these values. Ignoring responsibilities greatly affects your life. When missing payments for bills, you will have to pay additional late fees, along with a drop in your credit score. By skipping class, you might lose credit for not being present, miss any assigned homework or lose a pop quiz grade.
Responsibilities are put upon us as a way to show that life takes a little more work than planned.