Machiavelli

The Qualities of the Prince was interesting to read because of the complexity in Machiavelli’s extreme ideals. Reading Machiavelli’s obstinate views concerning the prince’s heavy participation in warfare and his belief that a prince should be feared rather than loved, was in many ways, difficult to comprehend. He believed that a prince should never be hated, but at the same time, it was acceptable for a prince to be feared. I found this Machiavellian belief somewhat contradictory. Is it really possible to be feared, and not hated?
Fearing your country’s leader automatically invokes a feeling of resentment, eventually leading to hate. Machiavelli believed that the prince should never be hated, in order to preserve his own security and personal safety. Where is the sense of security among the people, if they are living in fear of their leader? I am quite sure that most leaders of a democratic government today, would want to be loved by the people, rather than feared. Understanding that circumstances and the way of living in the 1500s may have been drastically different, I still find it difficult to believe that any person would want to live in a country where they could not feel safe.
Machiavelli’s The Qualities of a Prince was like nothing I have ever read before. He expressed ideas so drastically different from what I have always known to be right, that it was almost an eye-opening experience to read his beliefs. It is practically unimaginable for me to believe that any leader would incorporate Machiavellian principles into their way of ruling.