Questioning those in authority is necessary if we are to bring about any signifi

cant change in our situation or that of others. We cannot simply accept the inst
ructions of the people in power, we must look to improve upon any social injusti
ces or inequalities. Apart from simply questioning authority, the actions that f
ollow are as important, if not more so, as they will ultimately decide the chang
e brought about, and the means with which it is done.
Questioning the people governing us is an essential part of any democratic socie
ty. By holding those in power accountable for their actions, the people who elec
ted them can show their approval or displeasure towards the actions of their lea
ders. The questioning of the leaders' actions will also help to generate alterna
te, and possibly better solutions to the problems faced by the people. For examp
le, in India's "Lok Sabha", which contains the elected members of Parliament, du
ring any session of Parliament, the proceedings are always opened with a "Questi
on Hour", where the members of the opposition question the actions of the ruling
party. This helps the ruling party to listen to opposiing views, and how their
actions are viewed by the different sections of society.
Secondly, questioning those in authority is the first step in bringing about cha
nge. Simply accepting the rule of those in power will not lead to any significan
t change in the status quo of society. A number of revolutions and independence
movements throughout the world started off by questioning the authority of the r
ulers of the people. To illustrate this, we may consider the Indian freedom move
ment which began in the early twentieth century. It started with a few Indian po
liticians from the Congress Party in India who questioned the draconian rule of
the British in India. This simple act led to a number of movements and demonstra
tions, over a number of decades that eventually led to the Indian independence.
Although questioning those in power is essential in bringing about change, the a
ctions that follow are of utmost importance. If by questioning those in power, p
eople actively flaunt the imposed rules, and violently protest against their rul
ers, then the situation may become precarious. Take the case of the Arab Spring
that shook the Middle-East in 2011. A number of people protested against the aut
horitarian and restrictive governments of their countries. These demonstrations
quickly turned violent, as in the case of Libya and Syria, leading to violent re
pressive action by the governments of these countries. These actions led to wide
spread loss of life, and in most cases, the government did not change either.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that questioning those in authority is
an integral step in bringing about change at any level - in the school, in the w
orkplace, or even in the country. However, the actions that may be instigated by
these questions are the factors which will decide how the change is brought abo
ut. Despite the risk against oursleves, we should never hesitate to question tho
se in power, as any action will be better than meekly accepting the injustices t
hat are meted out against us.