The Single Greatest Measure Of Authority

The long-term practise of contemplative prayer, properly aligned with humble openness to the direct experience of God, requires not simply a long obedience in the same direction (a discipline of love), but the recognition and acceptance of the role of someone else’s authority in your life as well.

Authority’s most important attribute in general is psychological wellness. Innumerable people have been placed in positions of authority who are psychologically ill. Openness to experience, conscientiousness, sociability, compassion, the lack of anxiety, and humility are the core personality traits of someone who can be trusted to provide you with sound and valid advice. Conversely, valid authority can also be measured by the absence of antisocial behaviours such as psychopathic tendencies, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and the propensity to react, demean, shame, or punish.

Human institutions in general are, however, filled with people who are in these respects unwell, filling assigned roles. And in regard to searching for valid, genuine, authoritative leadership when coming to terms with one’s direct experience of God in particular great caution must be exercised because Christianity regularly passes off appointed leaders who are psychologically questionable, if not very ill. These might be able to walk a community through the rubrics of indoctrination well enough to keep them in line with the contrived organizational goals, but fail miserably when coming to terms with the genuine needs of others in regard to discerning the actual, direct movements of God in life when a genuine leadership role when it comes to contemplative living is to simply accompany and remind such a one to be alert, sensitive, and open to these experiences.