If it is to be believed that rivers and men can be
controlled, but not trusted, why should we control them at all? What is the
point of controlling someone if not to use them to your advantage? This begs the
question, what is a man controlled if not trusted? A politician would be the
modern answer. A man, who follows orders, portrays an image of the highest
respect, says all the right things and yet, can never be trusted. Machiavelli’s
beliefs can be seen everywhere in the glass bowl of today’s hierarchy; all
leaders have one thing in common, distrust; from Barrack Obama to Osama Bin Laden or Fidel Castro to George Bush Jr.
The past of leaders can influence the
actions of the future and reflect the thoughts that are behind those actions. Machiavellihad reason for writing the things he did. The judge saying who’s right or wrong
about these philosophies is unknown (and if known probably controlled and not
trustworthy) but, I believe that Machiavelli’s ideas are reflected, to an
undetermined point, everywhere around us.
Very nicely put Becca, I agree with your opinion. Although I believe that you could have structured your ideas better and developed upon your train of thought a little more, I really liked the antithesis in the beginning, which evolved into you disproving it though common politics.
ReplyDeleteNice comparison between prominent political leaders and "The Prince"! Really well done :)
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