It is hard to disagree that most people see the world and the way they should live and treat others differently. For example, some persons find it challenging to argue even when necessary or protect their rights and interests because they are genuinely kind and soft. On the contrary, some are almost always cruel and consider discrimination and humiliation the best ways to get what they want or merely live through the day. For an ordinary human, it may not be as essential to choose between cruelty and compassion; however, when a leader starts their ruling journey, they need to choose the way people will see them. In his political treatise, Machiavelli (2002) tries to answer the question of whether it is better for a ruler to be loved or feared by others. Essentially, the author concludes that it is the perfect choice to be both, but since it is almost impossible, one should prefer being feared (Machiavelli, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to support this idea by providing a concrete historical example.
Overall, it is possible to say that the philosopher’s reasoning is quite strong. Not all people are capable of true and unconditional love for a leader without expecting any gifts and other benefits rewarding their loyalty. At the same time, it is much easier to make persons fear their ruler; in this case, they are less expected to betray or lie because they will be afraid of the consequences (Machiavelli, 2002). Unfortunately, in this world, cruelty means power and strength, while clemency equals weakness and leads to other individuals taking advantage and taking the leadership away. Rulers who desire to keep their power need to learn to be feared but not hated as the latter can also result in revolutions and people’s refusal to obey and follow this leader.
The necessity of keeping others in fear is illustrated by numerous rulers of the past. For instance, the reign of Henry VI of England would have turned out very differently if he had not been sickeningly pleasant to everyone around him (Cartwright, 2020). Instead of making himself seem a strong and resolute monarch, Henry VI preferred the life of prayer and allowed others to rule him and then take his leadership away (Cartwright, 2020). Therefore, this example proves that Machiavelli (2002) is right in his ideas, and being unconditionally kind may be disastrous for any ruler.
References
Cartwright, M. (2020). Henry VI of England. World History Encyclopedia.
Machiavelli, N. (2002). The prince. Branden Books.