Authority IX

For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room . . . 

 - From Psalm 84

The primary reason that people turn their backs on authority, their elders, their forbears, is very simple:

There's only one of them, or at least, very few. But the people that want you to reject your elders are very great in number. They're always very great in number. The masses always line up against a very small number of people that have influence over others.

And a single person opposing a mob is always a great threat to the mob. This is why big mass movements in societies, that radically change a culture or governmental system, usually result in a purge.

Purges do not have to be violent. You can get people to shut up and keep their thoughts to themselves, by aligning celebrity, sports figures, "popular" people on one side.

People can be swayed by other things as superficial as a crowd: money, sex, and other favors.

The Psalm today spells it out in a creative way. The path of authority gets narrower and narrower, the nearer you get to ultimate authority. Few there are, that find their way all the way to God's throne. But one day with God is better than a thousand, all to myself.

A day with God is eternal life. That's the key.

So that, you have just a few people that influence you. Or you take the easy way, the path with least resistance, and go with the crowd. There, you will get a hundreds times more "likes". Your latest announcement or decision will get shared virally. (Just look at which type of political posts on Facebook get the most "likes.")

Choose the one day.

Choose the one person. A person that loves you unconditionally. A person that has already sacrificed much, to benefit you and others.

Choose the one, over the many . . . the many, the crowd, the mob . . . a fleeting throng that is with you today, but tomorrow could just as easily throw you to the wolves.