<p>Essays aren't my strongest point, so I time myself for 25minutes and did this one just now, and here it is, totally unedited.</p>
<p>Hopefully someone can tell me how to improve. I really want a 10~12 essay.</p>
<p>This prompt was neither difficult nor easy for me, so it should pretty much determine my average essay level at the moment.</p>
<p>(length: 1 line short of the full 2 pages)</p>
<p>Prompt: Does questioning authority make a society stronger?</p>
<p>With the advent of ideas such as democracy and equality (ideas that empower the individual), people have become more critical and censuring of their government or authority. What this leads to is a more intelligent and empowered society. By questioning our leaders, we let our thoughts be heard and become stronger.</p>
<p>Take the EDSA Revolution of the Philippines for example. The country, being under Spanish rule for 333 years, was just getting off the newfound idea that it could govern itself. When President Marcos was ousted during that revolution, it gave people confidence. The country was in a state no better than a monarchial or dictatorial one; the peopler were utterly obsequious to the every word of the president. What happened after they started questioning him? Corruption was eradicated and the people gained back the power that democracy promised them. The people were basically saying "we aren't to be messed around with". With the aftermath elections totally in the hands of the citizens, it is hard to say taht the people didn't gain power from the incident.</p>
<p>To provide a contrapositive, the High Middle Ages of Europe must be considered. A chivalric period of total monarchy and totalitarianism, those times had the peasants or the common people as mere servants of the government; with conditions poor and the monarch all-powerful, there was nothing that these peasants could hope to do. Back then, the Greek idea of equality was non-existent and an uprising against the government for better conditions was just plain lunacy. They weren't able to rebuke the government and change it to make it better for themselves. In short, they were weak.</p>
<p>Questioning authority gives us the ability to put pressure on our leaders. By being critical of our authorative figures, we provoke thoughts among ourselves - thoughts that say "wait a minute, I don't like how this guy is running the place", ultimately empowering us to do something about it and bring about change. As the saying goes: "knowledge is power", and that is exactly what empowers us when we question authority.</p>