“Benedict XVI, with great wisdom, often reminded the Church that although man frequently equates authority with control, dominion, success, for God authority is always synonymous with service, humility, love; it means entering the logic of Jesus, who kneels to wash the apostles’ feet.” – Pope Francis

In my daily job I manage people. It is understood that I have some authority in the day to day operations of how work is handled, people scheduling, all that good fun managerial back office shenanigans. Everyone who has ever managed a group, led a project in college, or just had to deal with being apart of a household understands that as people we put a certain level or authority into positions and statuses in this world. A great example is a head coach of a team. This person does not get out there in the game, however, if the team has a poor record, ultimately, he or she is held responsible for the team as a whole. That is the same for me, I have that responsibility on my shoulders, and everything that my team does, it is a reflection of me.

There are countless examples that I can throw out there on how oppressive leadership is wrong, and not something that anyone wants to ever be apart of. I will not bore the conversation with all of those. I can say, that in my observation of history, and present day events, that kind of authority is wrapped up in ensuring that Earthly comforts are well met. These people amass wealth, possessions, etc., but in the end, they end up in the same place, with nothing. Whether they end up with nothing while they are here, or when they are put into the ground, they all end up just the same as everyone else.

The real point of this is, we should always be ready to be of service, love each other, and be humble, because at some point in our lives, we are going to want to be treated in reciprocal.