Importance of Following Orders - Article Example

Importance of Following Orders al Affiliation) Orders refer to itative instructions that should be followed. It is mandatory to follow orders in every aspect of life. Every profession has specific orders that need to be met. Failure to do so can lead to serious consequences. This article is about the importance of following orders and the effects when one fails to follow orders. Commands give direction and guidance to people in their day-to-day life in their respective professions. They dictate the manner in which things should occur. Disciplined people follow such commands and they are able to do what they are supposed to do in the right manner, at the right time, and place. Such people are responsible. They are entrusted with major responsibilities because they are reliable and have the ability to do the right thing. During training, new recruits in the army go through several drills. They need to follow these drills to the letter in order to gain physical strength, teamwork, endurance, and knowledge. A successful soldier gains discipline having followed these drills and orders. He is able to put his country and his fellow soldiers before himself when protecting the state. The ability to follow orders therefore builds an individual to be discipline in every aspect of life. Orders enable people to do things in a systematic way. Take surgeons for instance, they have a strict code of conduct that they should follow before operating on a patient. Failure to comply with these instructions can cost the life of a patient. Orders are similar. Be it a simple set of instructions like preparing a pot of coffee or something technical like diffusing a bomb. During war soldiers act in a specific and systematic way. They are trained to do things in certain ways during different circumstances. This enables order in the field. One is supposed to follow a systematic way of doing things for it to succeed. Following orders continuously enables an individual to perform things correctly. There are various ranks in the army ranging from the highest rank to the lowest rank. Soldiers are required to obey their superiors in the ranks above them. They are supposed to obey all orders given to them by their superiors. When followed, these orders can save many lives during battle. Soldiers who have followed orders issued by their superiors have prevented enemies from overthrowing governments, deaths of innocent civilians and they have saved their fellow soldiers during battle. The same applies in our daily lives like when one follows simple instructions like do not play with fire, do not ingest hazardous substances, or do not cross the road when there is heavy traffic (Brucker & Justice, 2004). People who follow orders are very organized. They know when and how to do a specific thing. They put their things in a particular way. Take soldiers for instance, they make their beds in a particular way. They match in a certain way, run in a certain way, and carry their ammo in a specific way. Learning to follow orders in our day-to-day life shall make us organized in all aspects of our lives. Newborn babies do not have any skills. They lack the ability to walk, talk, and express themselves when toddlers. They learn all things after teachings and continuous practice from their parents, guardians, and teachers. Fresh recruits do not have prior knowledge to operations in the army. They learn after following orders from their superiors. It is therefore crucial to follow orders as they mold and teach us to become better people in the society. People succeed in life because of doing what is expected of them. Soldiers who follow their superiors’ commands and do everything that they are supposed to do are recognized, rewarded, and earn the respect of their fellow soldiers and of civilians. Soldiers who follow orders and work as a team in battles mostly win the battles. They are usually received with open arms in their mother country, recognized, rewarded, and even promoted to higher ranks. The same happens in life. People who follow instructions succeed. They then receive rewards and respect from others. They receive promotions to higher stations and ranks in their jobs. Guidelines enable people to save resources like time and money when followed. People are able to save time when they do things in a systematic and organized manner. Institutions save millions in money when orders are followed. When soldiers obey orders like holding fire instead of shooting and releasing missiles in the army, they spare many resources. Time is saved when soldiers walk or run in a systematic way. Such time could have otherwise cost the lives of many people during battle, crisis, or attacks. Soldiers who follow orders and have served their countries well receive great benefits upon retirement. The same applies to other professions. Doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, and people in other professions who perform their duties as they are supposed to are able to retire comfortably once they become of age. People should learn to be disciplined and obedient in order to obtain these benefits. There are severe consequences that are brought about by not following orders. Soldiers in the army who fail to obey their superiors face punishment in a number of ways. Failure to follow simple instructions say carrying ones military kit at all times can lead to suspension, a fine, or denial to participate in other activities. Soldiers who defy their commandants in battle and fire when they are not supposed to or fail to fire when they are supposed to can face serious punishments like being sentenced to death (Hart, 2007). Failure to perform can lead to death of many civilians and soldiers or can lead to enemies overthrowing the governments. Courts of law sentence defiant soldiers to death - a penalty that arises from extreme circumstances. Soldiers who rebel are given minor punishments such as being denied privileges or are told to perform unpleasant or risky duties. This shall act as a corrective measure so that those soldiers who defied orders do not do it again. Some people lose their jobs once they defy orders. For instance, doctors are denied performing surgery or consulting patients, lawyers are barred from defending in a court of law. Other professions also fire people who defy orders. Soldiers either are de-ranked or even loss their jobs depending on the degree of the mistakes they have made. One should think twice before they decide to disobey their superiors. The penalties can be severe depriving them their source of income or even their freedom. Not following orders leads to chaos. Instead of going right people will go in opposite directions. During training for instance, if the soldiers fail to follow instructions like one person to climb a rope at a time, the rope may break with more than the required people on it, people may sustain fatal injuries and there may be losses on equipment that require lots of money to repair (Brucker & Justice, 2004). People may hurt themselves when running in all directions. Instructions bring about order in life. Many things are destroyed due to not following the instructions that came with them. Machinery could break down because of a failure to read the manuals. Things fail to function well when people do not follow orders. When setting up tents in the army, failure to follow a simple step can result to not erecting it properly. People should follow all orders to the letter. Only then can life be simple and easy. In conclusion, it is crucial to follow orders as great benefits arise from following orders and even greater penalties from the failure to follow orders. However, people should learn to obey only the legal orders. Many soldiers have been sentenced for following orders made by their superiors that were unlawful. Individuals have the ability to think about what is right and wrong. They therefore should only obey orders that are legal and avoid following unlawful orders blindly that may cause their prosecution. References Brucker, W., & Justice, G. (2004). Report to honorable Wilber M. Brucker, Secretary of the Army. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Goverment Printing Office] Hart, R. (2007). Crime and punishment in the Army. Alexandria, Va. (5001 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, Va. 22333): U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Read More