Man-made systems are inherently flawed. They rely on the insight of flawed beings. So questioning non-divine rules is not only acceptable, but in my opinion the right course of action in many cases. The state of global politics and warfare today have proven that so many systems that the world has comfortably relied upon for decades have turned out to be mere facades for corruption and injustice.

So then it is within our humanly rights to call upon our school administrators, C-suite at work, and our traffic institutions to hear us out and to amend rules based on real human need. Because in the end, these institutions are built by humans for the benefit of other humans.

Every human being is entitled to make demands to change systems that affect their daily life. However, those who climb institutional hierarchies and reach the top have a different responsibility altogether. The most important aspect of being given this privilege is to consciously remind themselves that they were once at the very bottom. They once faced similar issues to those in those incipient stages of their careers. There is no other way for systemic change to take place; someone from within the people needs to rise to the top and raise their voice. It is of course in no way easy to do, considering the red-tapism the world finds itself inadvertently wrapped in. However, the other end of the spectrum would be so much worse–following in the footsteps of their predecessors and continuing to run the machine in the way that it has always run.

The sad truth is, most climbers are groomed to step straight into the shoes worn by their ancestors. They continue to grind the mill without worrying about who gets blisters. Because we have defined “success” in very myopic terms. If someone merely reaching the top is success, then Iblis is at the top of his game. How successful is he! It is thus, that our pious predecessors were afraid of holding positions of power and sometimes they were held back. Abdullah ibn Umar clearly understood the burden of responsibility and was always concerned about accountability in positions of power. Similarly Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal is known to have denied positions that would compromise his integrity.

By no means does this mean one should quit trying to grow and move up the ladder. The key is intention setting followed by goal setting. If your intentions are in the right place –and they need to be revisited time and time again to ascertain that or to improve them– the majority of your meandering course has been disentangled already. Following orders goes hand in hand with questioning them when they make little sense. It is this respectful questioning and suggesting of alternatives that brings about true change as you climb upwards. Otherwise history is witness to endless senseless wars where collective mutiny may have actually been the best alternative to the course that history actually took.