Authority

The author of a book is the unquestioned source of the things within that book. That might be an example of unquestioned authority for the characters in the book if such characters were looking for someone to give them a tip on what was going on in their story. When little children are born they really do need some guidance to navigate the rough waters of life. Parents know this and tend to keep close watch on their little ships and keep them close to harbor and home knowing that the waves of live would soon swamp their little boats maned by captains with little sea experience. Parents shepherd their children like little lambs who do not know the difference between a wolf and a puppy. Thank God!










The relationship between parent and child is a very basic one but it begins to change a little as the child explores the world beyond the home. I will never forget when our youngest daughter went off to pre-school and instead of calling toilet paper by that name she insisted that the teach said it was "tissue". Another authority had come into her life and that was something new. It was a change but that change happens to us many times as we continue to grow and mature.
When the child is very small the parent is like a "god" with every word being the final truth for the child. When the child becomes a teenager the parent can seem like "the devil" because the parent is the adversary to everything new the adolescent wants to try to form their own independent identity. Finally in young adulthood the child is able to see the parent as a friend and peer if the relationship has survived this change. It is as if the child was promoted and the parent demoted and both enabled to embrace and value one another as long time beloved friends.








Not only can time change authorities but so can geography. The King of England does not have much authority in the United States these days and time has changed his authority even in England it seems. The religious authorities in the United States are not taken very seriously in China by the majority of the population there. It would seem that time and space seem to have a great deal to do with what one considers to be the important and proper authority.

In addition weaker authorities seem to give way to greater and stronger ones. For example the mayor looks like a big shot until the governor arrives and even that politician takes a lower seat as the president enters. Strength and authority are wed in ways we need to consider and one brings to mind the pecking order among hens in the barnyard that the strongest is often the leader of the pack in many arenas. That strength might be physical, political, mental, moral or mystical. Leaders may lead in many ways. It seems to be the leader who determines for their following group what is to be considered the authority for their lives. Sometimes the leader simply is the authority like a king would be but at other times the leader decides what the group should look to for authority. For example Martin Luther pointed his followers to the Bible as the source of authority as opposed to the Pope. We might notice also that it was Luther who then determined what the Bible said at least until another leader gathered a following that differed in its interpretation of the Bible. Then that might occasion a debate between the leaders who both agreed that the Bible was to be the authority but that good reason must determine what the Bible was saying.
Other leaders said that Reason itself was to be the authority and that the Bible was unreasonable altogether. Kings, Charismatic leaders, Popes and Gurus, physically strong warriors, brilliant free thinkers have all functioned as "authorities". The rub however is that when one who is stronger arrives it is clear to the crowd that their "authority" has been trumped. This can be a time of great transition, challenge and change.







What can be really confusing is that life is composed of many different competing interests and authorities can come in many brands and flavors each seeking to be the last word on various things. Some authorities try to become more and more inclusive in their expertise so that it would almost be that people would look to them for the final answers on just about everything. In some cults the leader wants to make decisions for all their followers on just about every minor matter involved in their lives. It is somewhat similar to the parent with very small children once again. The small child or one who really wants to be a small child again might really appreciate having someone to take all their responsibility away and simply tell them what to do, and say and even what is ok to think. Life is simpler with massive authority even if it is somewhat limiting for those who wish to grow up.






Time, Space, Strength, all can give way to new leadership. One Pope or King dies and the next one jumps right in the drivers seat without the car even slowing down for much more than a little speed bump. Authorities are world shapers and world changers. They are leaders. They are like the mother and fathers of the world family from age to age. Some are more oppressive than others both of those within their group and those outside of their groups. Some leaders are just better than others. There are leaders in religion, politics, economics, and the arts. Some just come along and maintain the status quo while others due to their times and their personalities move the crowds in a different direction. Some value freedom to change more than they value the treasures of tradition while others think the direction is certainly in a golden age gone by which needs to be recovered from the lack of discipline and order evidenced all about them. After the world has had its fill of one of these they usually begin to call for the other once more. When things get to chaotic and uncertain the call goes out for the strong man to come and settle the situation down. When boredom sets in and decay is about even the dumbest person knows that something needs to change from the horrible status quo. The impulse for individual freedom is soon balanced with the drive for group survival. Every tick needs its tock as time moves on and authorities come and go. In one place it is tock and another place it is tick. Time Geography and Strength all have something to say about what authority is needed to set things right. In one time and place it is a certain kind of strength that is called for to direct the ship of life in the storms about it at that place. In another place and age the situation calls for different leadership. Authorities must match with their times and place or it is like having the head of a lion on the body of a duck. Each time and place calls for a certain kind of strength to lead us at that moment.






Life so changes that to keep giving the same answer to every situation is as foolish as always turning left or always turning right. Someone who does that will soon discover they are only going in circles. But perhaps circles can be ok but don't expect too many authorities to tell you that. The authority will usually be at the center of things so you must leave the things on the surface and go to the very heart of the matter into its core and very essence to find out what is basic and fundamental and the final authority for us all.