Prison has a way of stripping excuses out of a man. You don’t get to hide behind theories in here. You live with consequences, routines, rules, and authority every single day. And if you’re honest with yourself long enough, you start tracing the line backward. You ask where things first went wrong not to blame someone else, but to understand where you stopped learning and started resisting.
For me, that line runs straight through classrooms I didn’t respect enough and lessons I thought I was smarter than.
I didn’t always hate authority. As a kid, I actually liked structure. I liked knowing what was expected. But somewhere along the way, I started confusing strength with defiance. I started believing that pushing back on authority made me independent, when in reality, it just made me unteachable. That mindset didn’t put me in prison by itself but it helped pave the road.
Romans 13 talks about authority being established by God. I used to skim past verses like that, thinking they were about governments and judges, not everyday life. Sitting in a cell gives you time to reread things slowly. Authority isn’t just a political concept. It’s a system God uses to bring order where chaos would otherwise run wild.
And I learned the hard way that resisting every form of authority doesn’t make you free it makes you unprepared for life.
Authority Starts Smaller Than We Think
Most people don’t wake up one day and decide to disrespect the law. It starts earlier. It starts in places that feel harmless like classrooms, coaches’ offices, and school hallways.
Teachers were the first authority figures outside my home. They weren’t perfect. Some were strict. Some misunderstood me. Some corrected me when my pride wanted praise. Instead of learning how to receive correction, I learned how to argue with it. Instead of asking why a rule existed, I focused on how to get around it.
At the time, it felt like confidence. Looking back, it was immaturity dressed up as independence.
A teacher’s job isn’t just to teach information. It’s to teach order, patience, discipline, and accountability. Those skills don’t feel important when you’re young. They feel restrictive. But those same skills determine whether you can hold a job, raise a family, or walk away from trouble later in life.
I didn’t fail because teachers failed me. I failed because I stopped letting anyone teach me once my ego got involved.
Prison Runs on Authority Whether You Like It or Not
There is no “opting out” of authority in prison. Every movement is regulated. Every rule is enforced. Every instruction matters.
Here, correctional officers don’t negotiate. Programs don’t bend because you’re having a bad day. If you don’t follow the structure, the consequences are immediate and unforgiving.
What struck me most after being locked up was how familiar it all felt. Not the bars or the uniforms but the dynamic. Instructions. Rules. Consequences. Expectations.
The difference is severity.
In school, ignoring authority might get you detention or suspension.
In prison, it can get you segregation or extra time.
The system doesn’t suddenly become harsh it simply escalates when earlier lessons were ignored.
I’ve talked to countless men in here who say the same thing: “I always had a problem with authority.” What they don’t realize is that authority didn’t start as a problem it started as a lesson they refused to learn.
Learn More About: Prison System & Authority
Authority and Faith Aren’t Opposites
For a long time, I separated faith from structure. I believed God cared about my heart but didn’t care how I handled authority. That belief was convenient and wrong.
Faith without discipline turns into entitlement.
Belief without obedience turns into rebellion with a spiritual excuse.
Jesus Himself lived under authority. He questioned when necessary, but He never mocked order. He knew when to speak and when to submit. He understood that obedience doesn’t mean agreement it means wisdom.
Authority isn’t there to crush you. It’s there to shape you. When we resist every form of it, we aren’t being brave we’re being reckless.
I didn’t lose my freedom because God abandoned me. I lost it because I kept rejecting correction until correction came in a form I couldn’t ignore.
The Role of Teachers We Undervalued
Teachers don’t get enough credit for the role they play in shaping lives. They see patterns parents don’t always see. They notice behavior before it becomes habit. They try to correct what can still be corrected gently.
Looking back, the teachers who challenged me weren’t against me. They were trying to slow me down before momentum turned into damage.
But pride doesn’t listen well.
I wish someone had explained to me that respecting a teacher doesn’t mean they’re always right it means you’re mature enough to learn even when you disagree. That skill alone could have saved me years.
When Authority Is Ignored, Authority Gets Louder
There’s a progression I’ve noticed inside these walls.
Men who struggle the most in prison are the same ones who struggled with authority everywhere else. They argue with officers. They resist programs. They blame the system. And the system responds exactly how systems always do with more control.
Men who learned to work within structure, even when it’s flawed, are the ones who grow. They finish programs. They earn trust. They prepare for release.
Authority doesn’t disappear when you resist it it multiplies.
A Moment That Changed Me
There’s a moment in prison I won’t forget. It wasn’t dramatic. It was quiet.
An officer gave an instruction during count. A guy near me muttered under his breath, loud enough to be heard. The officer didn’t yell. He didn’t threaten. He just wrote something down and walked away.
Later that night, that same guy was pulled out of the dorm and reassigned. Lost his job. Lost his program spot.
That’s when it hit me: authority doesn’t need to explain itself to you. It just enforces.
That realization humbled me more than any sermon ever did.
What I Would Tell My Children
If my kids ever read this, here’s what I want them to know:
Respecting authority doesn’t make you weak. It makes you prepared.
Learning discipline early keeps consequences smaller later.
Correction isn’t rejection it’s guidance.
Listen to your teachers. Not because they’re perfect, but because learning how to receive instruction is a life skill. Ask questions respectfully. Advocate for yourself wisely. But never assume rebellion is strength.
I don’t want my children learning lessons from men in uniform behind bars. I want them learning from people whose goal is to prepare them, not punish them.
To Other Men Reading This
If you’re struggling with authority at work, at home, in programs pause and ask yourself why.
Is it really about injustice?
Or is it about pride?
Not every authority figure is fair. Not every system is clean. But learning how to navigate authority without losing your integrity is part of becoming a man.
I learned that lesson too late. You don’t have to.
The Final Truth
Authority isn’t God’s suggestion. It’s one of His tools.
Ignore it, and it will shape you through pain.
Respect it, and it will shape you through growth.
I’m still learning. Still unlearning. Still rebuilding.
But if this cell has taught me anything, it’s this:
The lessons we avoid early are the ones we pay for later.
Learn while correction is still gentle.
Read More: 7 Powerful Reasons Being Real with Your Kids Saves Their Hearts
