MACHIAVELLI AND THE PRINCE

Human beings have the inherent right to speak and write whatever they desire, as did Adolph Hitler.  But it is up to the reader and listener to use good judgment and intellect in accepting or rejecting evil taught by those in positions of power.


Dear Ones,

Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527, a Florentine historian, humanitarian and father of modern politics, exposed princes of his day invoking endless wars.  In so doing those in power influenced many naive military men down through the ages to use their ego, bully power and control to gain high authority.

This Italian reflected  in his writing  overpowering royalty through the popular phrase that is quoted even today–"The end justifies the means."  This directive led to unscrupulous leaders taking advantage of their inherited positions no matter the evil and the malice that incurred. This diabolical directional turned out to be the most treacherous and injurious advice of powerful world leaders.

The end result keeps on churning out immoral leaders whose main interest is in establishing their own militant authority that is not glorious.

Without indicating any names, the president who led the United States into invading, attacking and occupying Iraq in an illegal war, was previously reading a primary book to children in school when America was attacked September 11, 2001.  The only other book publicized about he read was another short book called The Prince.  It is my opinion that this militant book influenced the former president and his administration into plunging America into another Gulf Coast war for oil, what opened up endless bedlam, deaths and growing crises even today. (Some people believe, like the prince, that this is good for population control!–as long as they aren't part of the mortal count.)  Instead of using the laws of the land the reckless "prince" choice to use bully force.

These are some of the words of Machiavelli as he described the capricious princes au jour:

"It is not necessary, then, for a prince really to have virtues [compassionate, trustworthy, honest, etc]. . . but at least seems to have them . . . and can change to the opposite side and do it skillfully. . . It is therefore necessary that he has a mind capable in turning in whatever direction the winds of Fortune and the variations of affairs require, and . . .  that he should not depart from what is morally right, if he can observe it, but should know how to adopt what is bad, when he is obliged to. . . In the actions of all men, and especially those of princes, where there is no court to which to appeal, people think of the outcome.  A prince needs only to conquer and to maintain his position.  The means he has used will always be judged honorable and will be praised by everybody, because the crowd is always caught by appearance and by the outcome of events, and the crowd is all there is in the world; there is no place for the few when the many have room enough.  A certain prince of the present day [1400s], whom it is not good to name, preaches nothing else than peace and faith, and is well opposed to both of them, and both of them–if he had observed them–would many times have taken from him either his reputation or his throne."

The fear of loss of  imperial position is a political motive to day.  The  crowds of the few soon gain  strength and protest totalitarianism as the brave are doing today to gain their freedom and respect.

Mame,
helenesmith1.blog spot.com                                                                 helenesmith@(macdonaldsward)