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From the moment we are born, we are taught to obey and follow the instructions of anyone who has more authority than us. As a result, children obey parents, students obey teachers or professors, privates obey the general, and employees obey the employer. Under regular circumstances, abiding by society’s hierarchy is essential to maintaining public order and peace, thus we have to treat people who are ranked higher than us with respect and follow their instructions. However, under urgent circumstances where one’s decision could impact many people’s survival, obeying such norms is not always the wisest option.
On September 11, 2001, arguably one of the biggest terrorist activities in world history happened in bustling New York City.
Almost 3000 people were killed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks as airplanes hijacked by Al-Qaeda terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center. However, a few thousand people more could have died if one person, Rick Rescorla, did not step up to save them. He was the director of security for Morgan Stanley, a global investment company, which was headquartered in the South Tower of the World Trade Center. When the airplane crashed into the tower, the main security office announced via its public address system that everyone in the building should remain calm and wait in their positions until the rescue team arrived. Rescorla could not believe what he heard. He knew that the building would collapse soon and if people did not begin evacuating, everyone in the building would perish under the concrete debris. With a bullhorn in his hand, he ordered all employees of Morgan Stanley and other people in the building to evacuate, even if that meant he could be punished for acting against the orders of the Main Security Office. Fortunately, before the second airplane crashed again into the tower, 2687 people successfully evacuated from the building. However, unfortunately, Rescorla was not one of the 2687 people to survive the incident. After he and other people escaped the crumbling tower, he went back into the building to save more people left behind. He even went all the way to the 10th floor to look for his missing colleagues. However, as he spent more time in the building, he realized that he would not make it back alive. Shortly before the tower’s collapse, he called his wife Susan and told her, “Stop crying. I have to get these people out safely. If something should happen to me, I want you to know I’ve never been happier. You made my life.” After his brief final words, the tower collapsed, and Rescorla was under it.
13 years later on the other side of the globe, the biggest maritime disaster in South Korean history—the sinking of the Sewol Ferry—happened on April 16, 2014. The Sewol Ferry had 476 passengers on board, mostly students from Danwon High School, and the accident took the lives of 304 innocent passengers. The students were on a school trip, something similar to AISG’s China Trips, traveling across the sea. However, their trip soon became calamitous as the old, overloaded ferry began to sink in the middle of the sea. Similar to the Main Security Office of the World Trade Center during the 9.11 accident, the captain of the ship ordered all passengers to remain calm, stay seated, and never come out to the deck. The obedient students and their supervisors listened to the announcement although it was apparent that the ship was continuing to sink. Despite the passengers’ disbelief, the captain reassured them that the rescue team would come soon. However, the rescue team arrived too late, and they did not have enough life boats to save everyone in the ferry. By this time, the inside of the ferry was flooded with cold seawater, and the passengers who remained inside drowned and eventually died. Some students and adults who decided to disobey the captain’s orders and escape the ship were among the 172 people who lived. The captain was also one of the people who survived the accident; in fact, he was one of the first passengers to be rescued. It was later revealed that after he made the announcement and realized that the ship would sink, he irresponsibly jumped off the ship to live.
For both cases, the 9/11 accident and the Sewol Ferry disaster, disobedience was the key for survival. In both accidents, there was a sector, a powerful, authoritative one, which commanded the people to stay where they were. However, the results were completely different because of the difference in people’s decisions. Rescorla, who wisely disobeyed the authority’s orders, was able to heroically save about 2700 lives. In contrast, the majority of Danwon high school’s students, who listened to the captain’s orders, ended up perishing in the cold sea, with their bodies still unfound.
We are taught by society that we should follow orders and obey authority. That is why students across the world practice emergency drills which will hopefully save them when disasters actually happen. It is undeniable that there are more cases in the world where carefully following the drills and the orders saves people’s lives. However, one should learn when to disobey and follow his or her instincts, especially under circumstances where life hangs in the balance.
For more information, please visit history.com, awesomestories.com, and rickrescorla.com.
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