“Law never made men more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice. A common and natural result of an undue respect for law is, that you may see a file of soldiers, colonel, captain, privates and all, marching in admirable order over hills to the wars, against their wills, indeed, against their common sense and consciences. They have no doubt that it is a damnable business in which they are concerned; they are all peaceably inclined. Now, what are they? Men at all? Or small movable forts, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power? The mass of men serve the State thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies. They are the standing army. In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense; but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such people command no more respect than men of straw, or a lump of dirt. They have the same sort of worth only as horses and dogs. Yet such as these are commonly considered good citizens.” -- Henry David Thoreau (Civil Disobedience) Many of the abominable problems in the world are the result of obedience. In our personal lives, in the media, we cry and moan and blame "our leaders" for the problems of the world. We shift responsibility to them. But are they solely responsible? What about the thousands and millions who are actually carrying out their orders? These people are the ones actually doing the terrible things that their leaders want done. These people have abandoned their conscience and have abandoned their responsibility. Can such people be considered adult human beings at all; or are they still children, or dogs-- dutifully obeying their master-parent?