Fallacious vs Cogent #3

I just read an article written by Bryan Hyde. The article talks about how we are conditioned to respect almost blindly people in civic uniforms or those that might have  status or position above us. There was a quote by W.K. Clifford that I liked.  It reads; "There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey".  Ask yourself, do you find yourself obeying someone just because they are a ranking official?  Maybe its someone that is your superior at work. Or maybe its one or both of your parents. Have you found yourself doing something that may not be ethical just because your boss told you to? I have been told at work before; "this is what you are supposed to do but this is what we do" and I have sadly gone right along with it. Am I conditioned to do so?  Something to think about. I know that even now I am prone to listen to my mothers advice rather than something that my wife wants me to do. I find myself doing this a lot especially when it comes to how to parent/discipline my kids.  I in a weird way want to please my mother and have gone against my wife's wishes when dealing with parenting issues in the past. The article mentioned that we are conditioned from childhood to defer to symbols of authority. I think that it is true. I feel that we do this with a lot of the things that go on in our daily lives.  From our political view, to our religious affiliations.  I think that Mr. Hydes argument was cogent and it lead me to evaluate when and where I do this in my associations with my friends, family and co-workers.