theres an argument i've been fussing around with in my mind. (i remember this from Machiavelli! english class!)
the argument of being feared before being good/keeping morals.
the argument of being feared before being good seems for the most part, is agreeable to me. it has even happened here in the U.S. with our presidents having to enforce their authority in order to build their ideal society. One of the very causes of the Civil Way here on american soil has to do with this argument. it's human nature to do bad things to others to gain for yourself. In dealing with the Civil War, (a Civil War meaning a war within a nation) some people wanted slavery to spread because it was profitable for them. if there was no Civil War to show these people authority, slavery could have continued for many more years. the president (lincoln at the time) had to show his power and enforce it. A FEARED LEADER IS A GREAT LEADER, A VIRTOUS LEADER IS A WEAK LEADER, THEREFORE YOU MUST FIRST ENFORCE YOUR AUTHORITY BEFORE BEING VIRTUOUS. which really IRKS me! b/c i dont like that idea... :/ BUT..
all leaders are judged constantly. therefore, i can see why any leader would want to show their virtues and morals before seeming intimiating to society, but being feared seems to be a MUST! "hence, it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain his position to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity." i guess being too nice to anyone can get you run over in the end. being nice to people may bring you some possible praise, but if you wish to stay in power, you have to know when to be nice and when not to be. if you are feared, you may also protect your reputation; becuase if you are feared, people will be less apt to talk ill of you, especially if you hold some sort of power over them.
i think it's good for a leader's reputation to be or to at least appear to be generous, but not TOO generous. a leader cannot try to be virtuous and give their generosity out in secret or else no one will believe them to be generous. people may even believe the leader is miserly. a leader cannot be too lavish in their generosity or people would take advantage of them. to be GOOD, means to be of VALUE. so to be a good leader means to benefit your society as much as you possibly can. but a leader must remember there are limits to such things as being good. most people respect higher authorities, so the leader has the advantage. and because of this everything a leader does will be either wonderfully good or horribly bad. so a leader much know when he is being overly generous and when to give it. "it is wiser to live with the reputation of a miser, which produces reproach without hatred."
you may love your mother dearly, but that is not what makes you want to wash the dishes. (if you ever do WANT to wash them. har har) it is FEAR of a heated conversation or fear of the palm of their hand. it is not love that drives you to do the things a mother wants you to do. (for the most part anyway!) the same should go for a leader in power. "it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking." even with God, people of religious faith fear him more than love him. even people who are non believers. tell me tobes. HOW MANY? how many, when their end is near, cry out to God because of FEAR? a leader must make themselves feared if they are to get their way with anything. BUT they must not be feared to the point they are hated, but rather, feared with RESPECT.
a leader should ALWAYS keep their word because they must want people to believe what they say. otherwise, how can that leader stay in power if society doesn't believe his words? people will not assume a leaders loyalty. the leader must state it and more importantly, keep it.
a good leader must always ENFORCE THEIR AUTHORITY first; having people fear them, but at the same time, they must appear to be GOOD. to do this, you must have a balance of being generous and miserly, being praised and blamed, being loved or feared, and keeping your word. the leader must enforce their power to keep people from doing bad things (bad meaning, unruly or being too selfish), and to do this, they must make sure EVERYONE fears their power. and to do this, they must make people believe that they are capable of what they say and do.
you know tobey, there always is this BALANCE. it's a balance of LIFE. everything in life seems to NEED a balance, or something goes wrong. theres endless examples i could give you. of opposite things that we both need. we need the sun during the day, and the moon during the night. when arguing with a friend, usually; there needs to be a COMPROMISE. this argument here: being feared and being good. you even need a balance in DIET if you expect to life healthy. and this applies to LIFE because you know what? life is NEVER gonna be perfect. the WORLD is never going to achieve perfection. there is really, no such thing. my life will forever be a continuous roller coaster. sure, some heights will go out towards the never ending sky, but ALWAYS, ALWAYS, will come tumbling back down. and if people understand this concept. i think people can become more accepting of themselves AND others. people also need to realize that no two people are they same. that's why there needs to be COMPROMISE and UNDERSTANDING. i think if people understand this concept and keep it in mind, people wouldn't be so stressed all the time, nor so UNHAPPY. theres no need to always be happy, and no need to be unhappy. i think CONTENT, describes what i feel most of the time now tobey. and it's better then feeling a high feeling of joy then a low feeling of emotions. and ALWAYS keep in mind, when you do reach these lows. "after the rain, ALWAYS comes the glorious sun." (even if that takes YEARS. it will come. and with that, you also have to remember. you can choose to lenghthen that amount of time, or shorten it.) �
-karen. and machiavelli quotes!!
Moving - Sunday, Mar. 02, 2008
Rambles and Kansas! - Thursday, Feb. 07, 2008
In Manhattan, Kansas! - Sunday, Jan. 20, 2008
Minnesota! - Saturday, Jan. 12, 2008
First Interview!!! - Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007
