Who is Your Master You Grant Authority?

Despair sets in when walls appear as prisons when they can in fact be a fortress.

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WHO DO YOU GRANT AUTHORITY TO?

There are circumstances which restrict your movement. Nearly all of us experience an authority of some sort in our lives. These authorities take many forms. One form is our parents.

At an early age we are told where to be, what to eat, what clothes to wear and what time to go to bed. We have no freedom other than what is granted to us by our parents. Our parents are our masters. Throughout life the form of authority changes but the relationship persists. We remain subservient to authority as we age.

We may trade masters throughout time but inevitably an authority remains in one form or another. Some masters are cruel. Others are kind. We can make ourselves into our own masters.

When one serves oneself, some label this selfish. Some call self-serving people narcissistic. In truth today’s society is hyper individualistic. Many claim to be their own masters but the one they actually serve is Ego. Most do not actually serve themselves, though they are fooled to think it.

PRIDE THE TOOL OF YOUR A MASTER

Many often think by putting their goals, aspirations and priorities first they put themselves first. The goal to win, the need to conquer, the purpose to be right (different from the truth) or the drive to make money is for self-benefit…correct?

Not necessarily.

Many claim to be their own masters but the one they actually serve is Ego.

Allow me to color the picture a bit. In my life I found most people chase material things for concepts. For instance, I know many men who care only for respect. They believe respect is the most imperative aspect of relationships. Try it. Ask a man if he wants to be loved or respected. You will find with high occurrence most men will choose respect. Respect is very immaterial.

Many money seeking men I know talk a lot on the subject of pride. I often hear pride and respect in the same sentence.

There is no store where you can go to purchase respect. Though many try to buy respect from people by offering them money. Some men I personally know chase money because they believe wealth commands respect amongst their peers. If they do not have their perception of respect, they tend to admit to me their pride is wounded.  

Ironically, money is not the goal for the sake of riches. Money is the goal for the sake of respect of this subset of men. This subset I personally know admits their pride commands action to attain respect.

Interesting some of these men do not attain respect despite their monetary accomplishments. I have witnessed some men sacrifice time with their children, time building a strong marriage and time away from meaningful relationships for the pursuit of their monetary success. Their goal was always the idea they would attain ‘respect’.

In a more egalitarian society women are increasingly adopting this viewpoint. It is a common masculine viewpoint. I know women CEOs and executives who increasingly adopt this mind set. They demand respect and believe more success, wealth or position will attain it. These women I know also suffer from the same consequences (Albeit more exaggerated due to the common issues with women equality).

RESPECT IS NOT COMPLIANCE

Interestingly enough, both tend not to attain respect. They typically attain compliance with hints of resentment. Men resent other men for having more (pride). Men resent women for historical prejudice and bias often at a more exaggerated level (because they are simply not men).

There is no store where you can go to purchase respect.

Respect is how people show deference because they value who the person is, the benefit the concept is or the intrinsic value of the thing.

Let me illustrate how respect works when I choose to comply.

MY PESONAL RESPECTFUL ILLUSTRATION

Let's take an example of judges in the judicial process. Judges are by far my favorite part of the judicial process. Judges are truly the safeguard against wild actors. A judge is trained to understand narrative versus explanation.

The reason I remain compliant with a judge’s direction is I respect my judges.

Judges have my utmost respect because by far they are just, fair and impartial. They rule according to law and do not care about the appearance of their actions. Case in point is a recent judge in Houston who permitted highly controversial bond for a suspected offender who is charged in a police shooting. They are factually based and rule based. This judge has weighted the rule of law to be her guidepost not the narration of media. Be grateful to the judges. Judges are the ones to set you free and the ones to hold you accountable. Everything up to the point of your arrival at a judge is a story. The judge determines the explanation.

I have been in front of a number of judges in my day. Each time I encountered a judge they took time to hear an argument, review the facts and make a determination based on evidence. They did not listen to narratives. They ruled in accordance with a rule set and standard.

This includes forcing the opposition to meet a standard of proof when alleging I was a bad person. Simply saying something does not make it true. Judges understand this and force accountability. In nearly all instances, I have personally witnessed judges dismiss wild allegations from emotionally charged narrators because the narratives lacked any contextual facts to prove I was what people claimed I was. I am extremely grateful for my judges. You should respect a judge always.

COMPLIANCE THE DOPPLEGANGER OF RESPECT

Compliance is not respect. Compliance it typically what people do in order to obtain what they want. If I remain quiet when you say shut up so I can get paid…I am not respecting you. I am remaining quiet to obtain money.

Compliance is a very straight forward illustration. Women are notoriously good at remaining compliant to people they do not respect.

A COMPLIANT ILLUSTRATION

An example. Two people are in a relationship. The couple appears to have a wonderful initial five months. At month six the man asks his woman to move in. The man is an abuser and is controlling. Up until this point this part of him was suppressed. The abusive man reveals his true color before the woman moves in with him. This revelation occurs during an argument about who will put down an apartment deposit. The woman assumed the man would provide but he says no she must pay half of everything. When she voices her opinion that a man should provide for housing in a relationship he enters a wild rage. The man slams his hand on a table. He breaks a chair. The woman wise to the fact these are signs of a domestic abuser realizes she cannot remain in this potentially abusive relationship. The woman tells the man she will make the deposit. By the woman complying and agreeing to do the action the abuser commands the abuser settles down. The abuser apologizes. He hugs her and peacefully leaves.

After the abuser leaves, the woman puts a stop payment on the check to obtain the apartment, blocks the abuser’s number, completely erases his presence from social media, files a restraining order, moves into another apartment without the man and leaves the man.

Compliance is a component of respect – compliance in itself is not proof of respect. Compliance can occur without respect.

EGO AS A MASTER COMMANDS PRIDE

What I personally discovered throughout life is Ego is commonly a master which commands pride. Ego is not necessarily self. For if one desires respect and attains compliance in lieu of respect that person fails to obtain what they desired. Therefore, one can only conclude in the instance I outlined above Ego is not the same as oneself.

For if a person wanted respect and instead obtained compliance the person's wants were not fulfilled.

Either this person is delusional or there is a conflict between two different individuals. I argue the latter.

Ego is not you. You are not ego. Ego is a selfish master who robs you of your goals, dreams and aspirations to serve itself. Ego does not serve you. Ego commands you serve it. Therefore, it is wise to release Ego as your master.

IF NOT EGO AND IF NOT YOURSELF THAN WHO?

My personal answer may not be your answer. My answer is to make your God your master. I cannot tell you which god to appoint as master. That is not my place. Personally, I ascribe to the God of Abraham, Adam, Jesus, Zoroaster and Muhammad. I commonly identify myself as a Christ Follower. It is my view all served the same God throughout these monotheistic faiths. As such I state I practice the religion of Adam – the first man. I have no conflict in a church, synagogue or a masjid. I only require only the establishment of common ground. We all are hoping to make it and are praying for forgiveness. We agree on morality. We agree on a single creator. Therefore, let us pray to this creator together and give praise. I am very simple. I believe each one has adopted a different path to the same God. My path is unique.

You may appoint a different master. Throughout life my observations have shown me we always have a master. It is unavoidable. We must serve something, someone, or some being. This is true even if it is ourselves.

Therefore, my personal opinion is, “If I am inherently compelled to appoint a master (no matter what) than it makes logical sense for me to appoint an omnipotent being to be my master. I call this being perfect, flawless and omnipotent. This being is God to me.”

THIS IS NOT ANYTHING MORE THAN PERSPECTIVE

I personally do not ascribe to the idea of appointing other people as masters. People tend to be fickle and let each other down. I prefer something reliable. Concepts are not bad to serve as masters but than they tend to be imperfect. There is no philosophy in life which is perfect. All have benefits and drawbacks. It typically comes down to what one feels comfortable with.

Simply saying something does not make it true

My articles of late are just that. Philosophy. Specifically, my personal philosophies. There are no concrete facts to cite – only an open door to my mind. In it you find ideas which shape my views. The explanations for certain behaviors. The clarifications that my actions are not what you assume; rather, my actions are typically misread because very few people adopt such unique perspectives. These are solely my views. I make them available to you to see a different perspective.

I am the ultimate authority on what not to do. My much-anticipated new book “Turning Indictments To Dollars” talks about how to avoid the pitfalls I suffered. If you are accused of something you know you didn’t do – this book will offer you the path which grants you success. Trust me you will want to Sign up for free during the pre-release period to take advantage of unique $0.99 pricing on launch.

Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit”. You can pick up a copy of my international best-selling and award winning book, “I Made It Then I Didn’t” as well for a deeper insight.

The concept I teach in this article is free. Some of my personal stories are not free of charge as everything costs something. Don’t let pennies get in the way of dollars. There’s no such thing as a free lunch after all this article cost time. Understanding does not require agreement. You do not need to agree with me to understand me. Read some more. Understand how to avoid the pitfalls I’ve made. I am only trying to help.

To Your Knowledge Success!

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Sources

1)      The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.

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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments.

About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller, Award Winner of the December 2024 prestigious International Impact Book Awards – a premier award program dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the exceptional work of authors around the globe and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. He is also a Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 15-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM), and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license examination and was a Master Financial Planner (MFP). Christopher also held his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 33 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 13.0mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.