As human beings it is our responsibility to develop our minds to thus be and to thereby become something of substance with the knowledge that we have obtained. After all, as free will beings we are provided with the opportunity to become something of merit and of value in all that we say and do, by applying ourselves diligently to the most important tasks at hand. Indeed, some of us are very responsible in how we utilize and develop the talents so gifted to us, whereas others do an awfully poor job, for whatever reason.
The proximate problem with not developing our mind and therefore not utilizing well our free thinking and thus our volition, is that which is unused or seldom used, is susceptible to others, utilizing their persuasion, or power, to take what is rightfully ours as if it was an extension of their own self. That is to say, there are those human beings that stand tall on their two feet, and then there are those other human beings that metaphorically get down on all fours, to be led then by those that instruct them as to what they need to do.
Indeed, those that will not exert their own volition, perhaps because they have not developed well their mind, or are acutely slow of thought, or are damaged by drugs or other issues, are thus at the mercy of society and the members of such, who will thus exert their own control of those that have wittingly or not, ceded that control. In other words, all those that behave as if they are no more than an animal are going to be positioned into the unenviable position of being treated as an animal, in which they will thereby be led to where that person who is effectively in charge of that animal, so permits and desires.
So then, to live a life of mindless obedience is for humankind, quite a fall from where they really ought to and should be. As human beings, we have been created so as to give us the opportunity to subsequently demonstrate how learned and how wise we have become, by the proper usage of our free will, so done, as our fair part to help make society a better place for our participation in it. Those then, that have forsaken their free will, are clearly not progressing, for they are, at best, hoping for a free ride to a destination that is acceptable or tolerable, and not much more.
While there is always a place for humility as well as for respect, it is not humility when we will not straighten our back when we should be straightening out our back and thus standing tall. So too, it is not respect, when we obey through our abject obedience the commands of another person, as if that somehow is our ultimate duty or our inborn instruction, when it surely is not. Remember this well, we are not meant to be beasts of burden, but are supposed to live up to what a human being actually is, which is a person with a conscience, meant to be open to sensible learning, and thus instructed to the degree so necessary so as to have the right tools to thereby express through rightfully applied volition, the drive to achieve notable success.