In kindergarten, my daughter’s teacher and I had a talk about her behavior.  She would deliberately do the opposite of his instructions, sometimes immediately after it was given, in front of the whole class.  She was also the first kid scolded on a field trip.  I know the teacher also wanted to scold me.

Mystery aside of where she learned all that from, I had to teach her “Obey in your body.  Disobey in your mind.”  Knowing when and how to disobey is an essential life skill.  During the younger years, there is a thought that kids who argue with their parents / authority figures are less likely to be susceptible to negative peer pressure when older.

As adults, I know this is tricky in the workplace.  A former boss once said about me that I would do anything he asked.  Was embarrassed and resolved to be different from then on (and no, I wasn’t all that compliant at that job, I have witnesses).  I disobeyed more moving forward – after great thought and at warranted occasions – especially when given nonsensical, unethical orders.  Also necessary for a minority to hold their ground.

At the end of WWII, when the Nazis were on the brink of defeat, Hitler in his vindictiveness ordered the general in charge of Paris to burn it down.  To his credit and the eternal gratitude of the world, he disobeyed.