The true measure of authority in any situation (or any field) is when the truth is spoken, written or perceived. Attempting to establish authority without the measure of truth is to fabricate a false authority based on at least phantasmal belief, if not outright lies.
The famous quote by Gerald Massey speaks of this aspect of our human lives:
“They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as truth, rather than truth as authority.”
- Gerald Massey
We have the potential to be the authentic authors of our own authority in life; to be free from the will of others being imposed upon us against our own free will. But we can get lost in authoring our own lives authentically. The authority of self can willfully disregard reality and truth in order to author fantasies, beliefs, lies or unreality as though it were reality.
When we are disintegrated, disharmonious, misaligned, and contradictory to reality, we are in opposition to the truth in reality and are not living authentically by the truth as the authority. In such cases, we have supplanted the supreme authority of truth to say what is and what is not. We have made ourselves the false authority to decide whatever we want to be the "truth" about reality -- to be the arbiter of truth, rather than let truth demonstrate it's own authority to decide for us what is actually in reality. Justice against what's wrong doesn't come when we corrupt reality, truth or morality. When we create falsity through false authority, injustice reigns.
Is it right and true that 1+1=3 or 1+1=2? The authority to determine the answer is not our self-deluded attempt to authorize 1+1=3. We don't have that false authority. Trying to author false authority on truth-reality-existence is being inauthentic. Being authentic, genuine and real is to be right and true (maa). Being wrong and standing against the truth of reality is not being authentic, but is rather being a fool who stands for what's wrong. Simply saying 1+1=3 doesn't make it so.
Is it right, true and good that smoking cannabis is a crime? In our current condition, it's true that deluded people have taken their false authority to author a false reality (unreality) and declare smoking pot a crime. But is it truly a crime? No. False authenticity tries to author a false reality through false authority. Instead of creating right, good and true ways of living, they create wrong, evil and false ways of living. People are put into cages or coerced and extorted into paying fines -- even though they did not harm others.
Those of us who have less conditioning -- who don't obey the chain of authority; who have less attachment to falsity -- recognize that the so-called "authorities" in our way of life are stupid and idiotic in their actions. We have truer, higher and realer conscious awareness and self-development making us more authentic and capable of recognizing the authority of truth -- of what is right, good, true and moral. The "authorities" and their supporters are falser, lower, and unrealer selves; unaware and unconsciously living, doing wrongs as though they were right; or transforming what's right into a wrong.
The "authorities" and their assumed false "authority" don't determine what is plainly true as part of reality, nor what is morally right, good and true.
Evolving consciousness to develop more self-knowledge and self-awareness will allow comprehension of greater truths and moral truths to live by, which allows us to be more authentic, genuine, realer and truer selves. We can author our lives in the authenticity of having the authority of truth by our side; integrated and united with truth and moral truth, not in opposition to it as an adversary.