It is better to be feared and respected or loved

It is better to be feared and respected

Introduction

The rules of biological sciences have placed home sapiens in the mammalian category of living species. Human shares the biological characteristics of mammals. It is the free-thinking instincts of an individual that determines his “humanly” characteristics and reveals his existence as completely distinct from that of animals. The philosophy of emotions elaborates the driving sources of human behaviors towards the world. Homo-sapiens have a set of thoughts that guide their motivation towards or away from an emotional entity. Most of the time, it is the situations or experiences that foster a mind theory within an individual. Sometimes, an individual develops an opinion as a result of inspiration.

Love has been known to be the strongest feeling that drives a human life. However, some philosophical theories contradict and challenge the establishment of love in one's life. It is essential to understand that respect and fear are two emotions that have the power to reshape the society. The write up explores the strengths of fear & respect against love. The discussion presents an insightful account on the argument it is better to be feared & respected. The experience of “being loved” has its own aspirations. Yet, there exist more powerful sources than love.

Discussion

The Nature of Emotions

One can observe the contrast of emotions as provided by nature like hatred against love, happiness against sorrows, kindness against cruelty, and so on. Most of the time it is the combination of emotions that guide a human into developing behaviors. The combination serves as means to acquire purpose of life. The principles of respect or fear, determines the development of an individual as a leader, ruler, warrior, harmonizer, or a layman. These principles tailor the growth of a person and determine his strengths as an individual. The history of human civilization presents ample evidence to provide direction to all individuals determined to seek the success theory. The idea of respect & fear can be analyzed from varying perspectives. It is essential to regard the notion from the perspective of control & power.

Respect vs. Love

Machiavelli discussed all these principles in his famous writing piece, “The Prince”. The book projected guidelines and associated behaviors of a ruler. It establishes a principle of maintaining harmony between fear & love. The balance between love & fear presents an ideal situation for a ruler (MacHiavelli, 2009). An ideal ruler must be loved and feared by his subjects. Love & fear is two emotions that reside on the opposite band of the emotional spectrum. There is a difference between working for someone you love, and working for someone you fear. In both cases, the phenomenon of work is present, but the driving sources are opposite. One should prefer to be feared if reaching the harmony is near to impossible. It is because of the fact that a well-loved person may not receive desired level of respect. According to Machiavelli, a ruler should prefer to be feared ...