Obedience is a great virtue. The lesson of obedience is an important one. It may be both personal and social. It is a great moral virtue and a sure sign of refined personality. Obedience is at the root of the progress of this world. Our parents love us. They wish our good. They always work for our welfare. They are glad if we are great and good. Whatever they bid us to do is for our own good. We should obey them and do what they wish us to do.
The young in a family are expected to follow the advice of their elders. If they refuse to obey, the institution of the family ceases to exist. Now what starts well at home shows better in the society. For, home is the breeding ground of the values of life. An obedient child learns to respect his teachers, obeys the rules of his institution and inspires his classmates to do the same. We live in the society. We must obey the laws of the society. If we do not do so, there cannot be any progress. We must also obey the laws of the state. If we do not obey the laws of government, there will be great disorder. There will be no peace in the country. People will quarrel and fight among themselves. They will commit crimes. Thus people cannot live in safety.
Thus we see that obedience is necessary everywhere. If we want to command others, we must first learn to obey. We must show to others that we know how to obey. Then others will obey us. If we do not obey our superiors, our subordinates will not obey us. It is no disgrace or shame to obey the just commands of our superiors. But we must not flatter them. Flattery is not obedience. A nation becomes prosperous if the people are obedient. The strong are obedient. The weak are not so. The civilised men are obedient. We must learn the lesson of obedience from our early life. We cannot prosper in this world if we cannot obey our superiors.
