Category: Fear

Introduction

Inherently, man endeavors to avoid anything that is perceived as amoral; instead, he craves, and competes to get and amass what is thought to be good. Here, it is worth to note that what is true or bad is relative and depends on a given society.

Out of the realization of his manifest weakness, man has established institutions into which he has surrendered all his power to judge or determine his course of actions freely in order to promote harmonious living, which is suitable for his overall development.

These institutions include the family, state and religion among others. Giving up all of his power to judge and do as he wishes places him in a situation that makes him fear or lack the courage to disobey authorities-religious, political or otherwise.

Fear vs. Courage

Obedience is promoted in all societies while disobedience is condemned (Fromm 683). Societies have even devised wise sayings in praise of obedience such the famous Judeo-Christian adage ‘Obedience is better than sacrifice.’ Amongst the young ones, the most obedient are celebrated and held highly while the disobedient are subjected to unpleasant punishments at home and school with a view to discourage them from disobeying. They are thus, patterned socio-psychologically to embrace obedience, which shuns and fears disobedience.

Every aspect of human nature has its direct opposite. These life opposites are usually in a perpetual struggle with each other. This struggle brings about order in an individual’s life and the wider society. For instance, the opposite of fear is courage while the opposite of obedience is disobedience.

Even though man is born with an inherent power of choice, that power is limited in many ways. He can for instance choose to obey or disobey, love or hate.

However, the choice is usually dependent on various factors, some external and others internal to his inner being. In fact, based on this power of choice, the renowned political philosopher, Nicollo Machiavelli, suggested that political leaders should use excess power where necessary in order to have their way especially on matters that are a threat to security of their territories and their positions.

Fear and courage in relation to obedience and other life aspects is also inborn. For example, human beings tend to be fearful and suspicious of anything new or anybody different from them. This line of argument, in fact, perfectly explains the prevalent clash of cultures that characterize the global community.

As pointed out earlier, man always endeavors to avoid anything untoward, compete for, and pursue what is perceived as legitimate. The unpleasant consequences of disobedience have perpetually forced man to fear to do contrary to the will of all that are accepted as authentic authorities and more powerful than he is, in terms of religion is, politically or socially.

On the other hand, the goodies that ensue from being obedient form the basis of his courage to adhere to set rules and do the will of his authorities.

Nickson, an outspoken and fun-to- be with teenager in my neighborhood, has loving and caring but strict conservative parents. Through out the days I have known him, he has always had a somewhat rigid routine, which he follows without failure rest he faces the wrath of his no nonsense parents.

Likewise, he chooses his friends carefully and cannot even risk being seen in the company of some of his age mates in our place of residence. However, when he does anything significant of which he is used to doing since he is a bright boy he is mostly showered with various kinds of gifts.

Sometimes back, an internationally distinguished reggae musician was holding a concert in a local nightclub. Nickson, a zealous lover of reggae music, was under pressure to attend the concert. There was also pressure from close friends to join them that night. Most of his friends are well known by his parents even though, unlike him, they had of late managed to break up, to some extent, the strong grip of their parents up on their freedom of choice.

However, he knew exceedingly well that his parents would never approve his desire to attend let alone allow him to attend an overnight. He, just like his friends, had started to ascertain his maturity having jus concluded his high school education. It was pointless and equally wrong to mention such a thing to them.

He was therefore, left with the option of mustering enough courage to disobey his parents by sneaking out on the night, irrespective of the obvious punishment he would get, if they got knowledge of his actions.

The day came, and everything went as he had planned. In fact, this event became the turning point in his life in terms of asserting his freedom from unnecessary parental control given that he was just about to join the university. Nevertheless, his obedience and loyalty to his parents’ opinions on various issues continued to be an influential factor in most of his choices.

In this case, Nickson always feared doing anything that was contrary to his parents’ will whom he revered because it was understandably wrong to disobey his parents and secondly because of the severe punishment that would be meted out up on him in case of his wrongdoing.

The envied gifts, that usually followed most of his virtuous deeds at home and school, gave him more courage to obey his parents without ever questioning the logic of their somewhat unnecessarily suffocating rules and principles. The acceptance that ensued from his obedient deeds was irresistible. As Fromm would put it, Nickson’s obedience to his parents’ power and influence made him “…feel safe and protected” (686).

It made him see himself as part of his parents and gave him some form of strength. In short, the consequences of an individual’s choices and actions within the inner self, family, school, and the wider society potentially makes him vulnerable to obedience and difficult to do contrary to the will and whims of a respected authority.

At one point in life individuals, as well as, groups or the majority in the quest for the much-needed freedom gathers enough courage to disobey an authority irrespective of the possible unpleasant consequences. Fromm argues that, man can only achieve freedom from what he calls nonsense control of a minority power through disobedience (686).

However, he correctly cautions that not all disobedience can be regarded to as liberating and that not all obedience can be considered enslaving (Fromm 684). Doing so he argues would lead to the danger of ignoring the obvious dialectical relationships between obedience and disobedience.

For instance, when Nickson chooses to obey his parent’s dictates and wishes he would disobey his peer pressure and desire to attend the eagerly awaited Reggae concert. Likewise, by bowing down to his desires and peer pressure he would be disobeying his parents’ rules (Fromm 684). The struggle between a choice of obeying his parents or disobeying them brings about the order of events in his life.

When he eventually chooses to attend the concert behind his parents’ knowledge and obviously contrary to their principles, he in other words chose to be free from their power. This, eventually, gave him courage to say no to his parents in the future whenever he felt that his space was unnecessarily being constrained by the excesses of his parents’ power and opinions. In other words, it set him in to a path of freedom as he approached a new life in the campus and the outside world away from his usual home environment.

His choice was also largely informed by the need to conform to his age mates who were determined to make him assert his maturity to his parents just like them.

The desire to show that he was also not under an absolute control by his parents was strong and irresistible. He was even oblivious of the dangers that would befall him at the club during that night. He unconsciously bowed to the will of the majority in terms of his age mates, regardless of whether they were aware of the dangers they were subjecting themselves.

Conformity can be as enslaving as the fear to disobey powers that people have accepted in their minds as authentic and befitting respect and honor. It can equally deny people an opportunity to be free from unfounded beliefs, superstitions and stereotypes that can potentially impede identification and nurturing of their unique talents and abilities (Asch 730).

In virtually all societies, people choose to conform to the will and opinions of the majority because they would like to be accepted (Asch 726). Very few people have the ability to chose and are comfortable for being different or having a different opinion from the majority who are always ignorant, and out of unfounded cowardice, believed to be always right.

Surprisingly, acceptance by the majority who could be wrong is better and easily bearable than being alone and right with regard to a given issue (Fromm 686).

Being different in opinion and principles, is worse construed by some to be an indication of inadequacy in oneself, which can blindly mislead them into self-hate. Nickson found himself in such a situation and being a teenager, he was easily swayed by the choice of his majority age mates because of the equally wanted acceptance apart from the one enjoyed within the confines of his family.

He could not bear being alone anymore on matters related to entertainment and partying. Therefore, he decided to ignore his parents’ warnings about dangers of going out at night in their absence so that he could conform to his friends.

According to Asch (730), even though when asked, many people say they would prefer to be independent, influence of the principle of conformity is overwhelming and tends to make us prisoners of unfounded fears, beliefs, stereotypes, superstitions and myths (Zimbardo 743). This, in turn, limits people’s freedom, which is necessary for intellectual, spiritual and material development.

Conclusion

Even though fear is inborn, our fear to disobey is largely informed by factors such as the need to avoid taking responsibility for our actions and to conform to the despotism of the majority who are ignorantly believed to be right. This, in turn, denies us our freedom and independence from the ruin that results from majority misjudgments and convictions.

Works Cited

Asch, Solomon. Opinions and social pressure. New York, NY: Freeman, 1955.Print.

Fromm, Erich. On disobedience and other essays. New York, NY: Seabury Press, 1981.

Zimbardo, Philip. Stanford prison experiment: a simulation study of the psychology of imprisonment. Stanford: Philip G. Zimbardo, Inc, 1972. Print.

When I was 5, I almost laid on a snake in my bed. I entered my room and went to sleep without switching on the lights. Afterward, I felt that something could slither on my body. When I switched on the lights, I saw a huge snake crawling out of the room. Later, my elder brother told me that he had brought a snake he wanted to keep at home. Since then, I have never slept alone in my room for fear of snakebite.

This paper tries to put this event into a psychological perspective in an attempt to understand the origin of my fear since that encounter with the snake. It also attempts to find out why the event remains memorable even after a long time has passed. Precisely, this paper tries to explain the origin of my fear using behaviorist and cognitive perspectives. Behaviorists value studying of observable behaviors among human beings (Baron & Kalsher, 2008).

They argue that it is possible to understand people by looking at their observable behaviors as opposed to mental and emotional actions. They also argue that all behaviors can be learned and diminished through conditioning. They would, therefore, attribute my fear to the stimulus-response relationship. Accordingly, people act in certain manners because of actions or things that act as stimuli to the respective outcomes. After some time, this stimulus-response relationship makes one get used to particular behaviors, and he or she is conditioned to act that way. In this context, fear arose from seeing the snake, and it remained for a long time. The snake conditioned me to be afraid of my room.

Conclusively, the snake is a stimulus, and the resultant fear is a response to that stimulus. Seeing the snake in the room aroused the response of fear in me. Whenever I enter the room, I always associate it with a possible snakebite. Fear strikes me just like it did on the day I saw the snake.

On the other hand, cognitive psychologists compare the human mind to a computer. A computer takes information, processes it, stores it, and retrieves it when people need it. According to cognitive psychologists, human beings store all information and occurrences in their brains. The brain contains long-term and short-term memories. Information is first stored in short-term memory, and it is moved to long-term memory through rehearsals. Therefore, my fear is a result of the retrieval of what happened to me on the day I found that snake in my room. This event went to my short-term memory, but continuous thoughts about it whenever I entered my room made it move to the long-term memory. Therefore, whenever I am in the room, the event is retrieved from my long-term memory, making me remember it. This remembrance is what arouses fear, and it is usually because of associating my experience with current situations.

Behaviorism majorly entails classical and operant conditioning (Baron & Kalsher, 2008, p.17). Classical conditioning entails linking a natural stimulus with a neutral one, and eventually making the previously neutral stimulus arouse a response. Operant conditioning, on the other hand, involves the use of rewards and punishments to create associative learning. Rewards are used to encourage good responses in the learning process, while punishments are used to diminish undesirable responses. This event took me through classical conditioning.

It is apparent that the snake as a stimulus aroused fear in me. Many human beings naturally fear snakes. In this case, therefore, the snake is a natural stimulus since it naturally arouses fear in people. Seeing it in my room made me develop fear for my room, which was previously harmless, and, therefore, a neutral stimulus. The presence of the snake in the room, thus, changed the room from being neutral into a stimulus that could arouse fear. Before I saw a snake in my house, I never used to be afraid of the room.

Cognitive psychologists argue that the human brain has two parts, which are short-term memory and long-term memory (Rugg & Coles, 1995, p.178). The short-term memory is for storing urgent information for a short time. The long term memory, on the other hand, is for storing information for a long time for future reference. The two, however, work together in such a way that information moves from the short term memory to the long term memory.

This transfer of information occurs because of elaborative rehearsal. It entails relating new information to old information, maintenance of rehearsal, and repetition of information with the intention of remembering. The memory of that event is still very accurate, ten years after it occurred. It has been possible to remember everything about it because it was the scariest occurrence I have ever encountered. In addition, I have been telling friends about it every time, and this has made it impossible to forget the event. Telling friends and remaining in that same room has served as a way of rehearsing the event. They have greatly contributed toward the event remaining fresh in my mind for a very long time.

References

Baron, R. A & Kalsher, M.J. (2008). PSY 105: Introduction to Psychology. Boston, M.A: Allynand Bacon (Pearson). Web.

Rugg, M. D., & Coles, M. G. (1995). Electrophysiology of mind: Event-related brain potentials and cognition. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Web.

The level of growth and development has resulted to an increase in the technological knowhow and improvement of appliances. The search and presentation of information in websites has increased drastically over the past decades. Consequently, people are currently learning of the differences between websites. Some websites consist of shallow and unreliable information while others are educative and informative. This essay is aimed at analyzing the presentations of two individual websites relating to the fear of failure which is a topic in psychology. Fear of failure is a common subject in psychology and has been diversely researched on by numerous scholars (Knudson 1). Consequently, this essay evaluates the roles of research practitioners on how fear of failure generates and the significance of their research in the websites.

The Department of Psychology from the highly-recognized universities has conducted numerous researches on the validity of information in websites. Various articles and website give illustration on the effects caused by fear of failure on the human brains. The first website is an article written by Knudson Tellman on the reasons behind the fear of failure (Knudson 1). The article issues a generalized reasoning on the adverse effects that causes human beings to have the fear to fail. Fear results to lack of personal achievement and attainment of set goals. According to research, fear of failure is experienced in all stages of growth. The fear to fail starts affecting people from childhood to their adulthood.

Some people opt to drug addiction due to their increased fear of failing in their individual or corporate duties. The users of the recreational drugs tend to participate in unprotected sex, criminal gangs and societal challenges because few interact with the bad in society. Research shows that the adults have rational actions and attitudes towards decision making and thus the chances of adults making inappropriate decision become low. The author indicates in the article of the availability of fear to failure in every person. The website and article by Knudson gives a lot of examples to indicate the variations of the fear factor in all forms of life. The article continuously performs a clarification of the effects of fear of failure on children, adults, corporate businessmen and other categories in the economical and political fields (Knudson 1).

Mind tools healthcare research website facilitates an understanding to the different readers on the various challenges in medicine. The undertakings of the research practitioners based in ‘mindtools.com’ involve careful and detailed research on the various areas of research. According to an article from their website, the research practitioners indicated that fear of failure is a common feature in psychology and in research.

A critical analysis on the causes and the challenges faced by people is clearly enhanced in the article. The article provides knowledge of the effects generated from fear of failure in the different stages of life and in the different political, economical and social grounds. Other than the basic knowledge on the problems and causes of fear, the article indicates numerous related fields in the different sections of the webpage. This enhances the readers’ choice of information and thus produces room for extensive research and learning. The article illustrates different pictures that are supposed to enhance on the level of understanding and in pursuing the right remedy for the different causes of fear. The presentation of this article offers the reader an extensive field of research on the psychology topic.

The above websites have conducted individual research on the psychology subject and have produced outstanding levels of performance in their explanation and conclusion. However, ‘mindtools.com’ provides detailed information in their web page. This acts as an educative and informative piece to any researcher practitioner because different topics and illustration for detailed research are positioned in different areas on the website. I would therefore recommend this article to a friend doing research on drugs and addiction to the first article.

The website from ‘mind tools’ provides diverse areas of reference to the research practitioners. The diversity of the website presents clarity in the knowledge presentation. In addition, the provision of pictures enhances on the presentation and gives the reader an understanding of the adverse causes of fear of failure to humanity (Mind tools 1). From the research website, one can draw a critical analysis on the adverse effects of fear of failure and different ways of overcoming these challenges as clearly enhanced in the article.

The website includes the current pages of social media, Facebook, Tweeter and other currently used pages to illustrate to the reader of the accessibility of the information. Other than the basic knowledge on the problems and causes of addiction, the article indicates numerous related fields in the different sections of the webpage. In conclusion, a good website should meet its intended goal and also meet the needs of the readers (Mind tools 1). The website is supposed to be highly developed to facilitate efficiency during its usage. In addition, well-designed websites purport recognition and acceptance from different academic fields.

Works Cited

Knudson Tellman. Why We All Have Fear of Failure. PsychCentral. 2015. Web.

Mind tools. Overcoming Fear of Failure. Mindtools. 2015. Web.

The technological revolution has increased the fear of missing out among individuals (FOMO). According to Buglass et al. (2017), low self-esteem has been exacerbated by the frequent use of social media platforms. The first study measured FOMO in 119 participants when they read that while their friends will be attending an event, they will not. The study’s independent variables (IVs) were “none”, “some”, and “all”, while the dependent variable (DV) was “the number of friends who agreed to attend the event”.

The study was based on two hypotheses. Firstly, higher FOMO feelings would be experienced by participants who imagined that they were the only ones unable to attend an event while all other social media friends attended. Additionally, being the only ones not attending an event, the participants would be more frustrated than those who imagined that some or none of their friends would not attend. The study’s predictions were supported by the findings since individuals who did not attend an event when all their friends attended were frustrated.

The second study measured FOMO by introducing a new variable, “scarcity in the number of tickets”. The study involved 209 participants who were subjected to a set of questions on the scarcity of products. The survey conditions, “limited” and “unlimited”, served as IVs while “the recall of how many tickets were available” was the DV. The study hypothesized that the participants would experience more negative feelings if they were told that “all” of their friends would attend an event.

Additionally, the study predicted that participants would exhibit more frustration and FOMO if the event’s tickets were limited rather than unlimited. The study results showed no significant differences between the participants who were told that all friends could attend and those told all friends were attending. While the event’s attendance had significant effects on the participants’ feelings, the number of tickets, limited or unlimited, had no effect. The findings of the two studies can be adopted by events marketers to encourage clients to tag. Along with their friends to events.

Reference

Buglass, S. L., Binder, J. F., Betts, L. R., Underwood, J. D. M. (2017). Motivators of online vulnerability: The impact of social network site use and FOMO. Computers in Human Behavior, 66, 248-255. Web.

In this article, Fontes-Perryman and Spina research the relationship between factors of fear of missing out (FOMO) and compulsive social media use (CSMU) with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social media fatigue (SMF). In particular, they were interested in the FOMO and CSMU’s potential mediating effect between OCD and SMF. The authors observed that OCD does lead to SMF due to psychological distress and limited mental capacity caused by the obsessions (Fontes-Perryman & Spina, 2022). Another observation was that FOMO was a reliable predictor of CSMU in participants with OCD, as FOMO proved to be a common source of obsession (Fontes-Perryman & Spina, 2022). Therefore, the authors concluded that their hypothesis regarding the mediating chain of OCD-FOMO-CSMU-SMF was true. Overall, the main strength of the argument is that the authors conducted two separate studies involving people from different age cohorts before evaluating observations, similarities, and conclusions.

Since the argument is based on the interpretation of quantitative results, it does not represent assumptions but warranted statements; therefore, the probability of potential bias is low. However, bias might be present in this research due to the choice of data collection. For instance, the samples were gathered based on the convenience method, which implies personal interest and certain beliefs among participants (Fontes-Perryman & Spina, 2022). Moreover, a survey method means the self-reported nature of acquired data, which contributes to the potential presence of bias.

The argument can be considered credible in the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose (CRAAP) framework. Firstly, the studies were conducted in the year 2022; therefore, they are current (Fontes-Perryman & Spina, 2022). Secondly, the article’s content, literature review, and discussion fully relate to the chosen topic; thus, the information presented is relevant. Thirdly, the argument was peer-reviewed and published under the American Psychological Association’s authority, contributing to the overall authority. Fourthly, the argument is supported by well-structured evidence, including validation and limitation sections; thus, it is highly accurate. Finally, the article covers the last element of the CRAAP framework by explicitly defining its purpose and providing theoretical and practical implications for its findings.

Reference

Fontes-Perryman, E., & Spina, R. (2022). Fear of missing out and compulsive social media use as mediators between OCD symptoms and social media fatigue. Psychology of Popular Media, 11(2), 173. Web.

Niccolo Machiavelli, a reputable Italian philosopher, posed a question in his book the Prince, “Is it better for the Prince to be feared or loved?” Through this question, Machiavelli attempts to offer pragmatic and practical advices on the means of acquiring and sustaining power.

In this regard, he discussed multiple merits and demerits of each trait of leadership methods that allow a prince to gain leadership control. Mostly, during his era, the prince’s main role in power was to acquire new states, tackle internal uprising, form alliances, and maintain a strong military base.

Classically, Machiavelli observed and presented the ideal characters that would form the good qualities of a prince in order to prevent inappropriate governance. Although some personal virtues prescription may have been depriving to the state, they were indispensable for its efficient operation (Clester 2011, p. 74). Nevertheless, the attainment of the good will of one’s followers is essential in the maintenance of power for a prince or leader.

In describing a leader’s demonstration of his personal skills and knowledge for the attainment of the state’s good, Machiavelli focuses the importance of statesmanship. In this regard, he elaborates how the availability of good laws indicates the existence of a strong military. Evidently, he indicates that a state’s growth depends entirely on the successful wars that form the foundation of every state. Therefore, applying the fear or loved concept demonstrates how one will acquire new territories and handle domestic insurrections.

In such cases, effective leadership entailed the use of power in the formulation of military strategies that ensured successful warfare. Some of the military strategies that were critical included international mediation, domestic politics, tactical strategy, geographical mastery, and historical analysis of a leader (Lee 2002, p. 144).

Therefore, it was necessary for a leader to choose the appropriate design of leadership as either to be feared or loved. Considering that the actual expectations of one’s followers are to realize a leader’s strategies, a leader had to inculcate the appropriate methodologies in handling state strategies.

It was significantly important for a leader to maintain goodwill and reduce hatred from his followers while in power. In this regard, it was better for him to be loved than be feared. This was mainly due to the belief that hatred caused mistrust and an eventual prince’s downfall.

Machiavelli advocated for the use of cruelty and dictatorship as long it never interfered with the long-run good will of a prince’s people. Additionally, such leadership designs guaranteed respect from the price’s subjects and the best defense against domestic uprisings and foreign aggressions.

To reduce instances of hatred, a prince had to avoid taking extreme measures such as the confiscation of personal property or interference with traditional institutions as he executed his duties (Machiavelli 1979, p. 124). Through this approach to leadership, a prince will be confident that his haters cannot rise against him. In this regard, Machiavelli indicates how people’s goodwill is essential in sustaining a prince in power.

Machiavelli defines the appropriate virtues that leaders should exhibit. The most essential virtues that ensured the sustenance of power included generosity, compassion, and devoutness. In this regard, a prince was supposed to portray exemplary virtues to his people and expect reciprocation from them.

Despite the fact that the pursuit of virtues could be depriving concerning the maintenance of principality, a prince needed to evaluate the appropriate virtues for each context. For instance, during the periods of domestic insurrection and foreign aggression, a leader could resort to cruelty or dishonest for the benefit of the state (Morris 1999, p. 102).

These characters were attributed to the effective realization of harmony and respect both internally and externally. In this regard, the pursuance of a virtue should be based on the effects it has on the state other than its intrinsic moral values. Generally, the leaders who portrayed this skill retained power and maintained support from their subjects. Nevertheless, such leaders could easily win the interest of the subjects and manipulate them for their own personal gains.

Considering the unstable human nature, Machiavelli demonstrated the importance of a leader to adopt the appropriate leadership design to help him deal with the varied human nature. In this regard, people acted in any situation for their own benefit.

The fact that during prosperous moments, people are trustworthy and respectful, but on adversity, they turn selfish and deceitful exemplifies this observation. Repeatedly, people appreciate traits like generosity, courage, and piety in other individuals, but they rarely portray such virtues themselves.

In this regard, Machiavelli advocates for leaders to be knowledgeable on the human nature and demonstrate the ideal virtue for any context (Machiavelli 2003, p. 72). Additionally, conflicts between the statesmanship and virtuousness could cause adversity to the state. This means that people will hate a prince if he fails the state rather than when he lacks virtues. Thus, it is wise for a prince to understand that duty should not conflict with self-sacrifice.

For a feared leader, the probability maintaining power is higher compared the leader who adopts the aspect of love. In this regard, a leader would instill fear and loyalty from his people. For the fear of their leader’s wrath, people will attempt to work according to the laws outline by the state.

Considering that the people’s satisfaction emanates from guaranteed basic needs and security, a leader would retain power for a considerable time. In the event of a domestic insurrection, a feared leader would threaten the concerned individuals. This would help to mitigate the potential harm of such individuals to the state.

At the same time, when foreign aggressions emerge, a feared leader would compel his military men to face their adversaries with courage and purposefulness (Bireley 1990, p. 124). As a result, the people of the state would be assured of security and foreign enemies would refrain from any intents of war.

On the other perspective, a leader who adores being loved rather than feared would gain support from his people. This implies that the leader would have to exhibit fundamental virtues that his followers appreciate. Some of these values include courage, generosity, piety, and being considerate.

Machiavelli asserts that when a prince becomes extremely generous and loyal to his people, greed, and deceit emerges. From such a notion, jealously and competition develop among the people. The outcomes of this form of leadership will likely lead to dire ramifications for the ruling prince. In this regard, to suppress domestic insurrection, it would require considerable efforts in negotiating with people (Viroli 1998, p. 128).

Naturally, although the people may have a liking for a virtuous leader during the times of prosperity, they will be defiant to such a leader in adversity. As a result, leaders should be considerate concerning the virtues they exhibit to avoid ruining their states because of the failure to adhere to their duties.

Critically analyzing the two types of leadership designs portray by Machiavelli, to be feared is considerably better than to be loved. This is because of the guaranteed safety and progress of a state during the tenure of a feared leader. The inducement of fear through cruelty and dictatorship will earn a leader unity and loyalty among his people.

When other people fear a person, they are inclined not to cross boundaries his boundaries because of the anticipated repercussions. At the same time, foreigners who became jealous and hateful towards a state would restrain themselves from taking any action against such a state considering the high probability of a lethal response from the state’s leader. As a result, the effective maintenance of security and adherence to the needs of the state by the people is realized.

Overtime, the Machiavelli’s philosophical thoughts concerning leadership have been considerably critical in the analysis of state politics. For most of the states, they apply the two forms of leadership designs on different scales. In countries such as the United States, the feared form of leadership is the most ideal when dealing with other countries.

In this regard, the political influence concerning the resources and military prowess exhibited by the United States elicits fear from other countries. Notably, while focusing on the creation of good relationships with other countries, the feared leader design is employed to achieve the objective.

In the domestic affairs of a country, leaders demonstrate good virtues to elicit the ethical nature of ideal leadership. These virtues create interest and mentorship among the citizens in embracing the leaders’ efforts in their contributions towards the country (Morris 1999, p. 245).

Most countries have portrayed identical leadership characteristics to the United States. As a result, leaders have been able to obtain respect and loyalty from their subjects. In this regard, the laws and the leader play a significant role in achieving the earlier form of leadership suggested by Machiavelli, which elicits fear from the subjects.

Following Machiavelli’s suggestion, most states consider a leadership design that portrays the loved prince leadership design as being vulnerable to all forms of man’s wicked nature. In this regard, there is the depiction of human beings as being self-centered from the Machiavelli’s claim that men are ungrateful, deceitful, and selfish. In this regard, the significance of being feared outweighs the urge to be loved since man’s affection can easily be won or lost through proper measures (Viroli 1998, p. 56).

Evidently, Machiavelli’s suggestions have had considerable impacts in the maintenance of security and winning man’s loyalty in each state. As a result, most leaders have accepted some of his ideologies and identified them as effective on each particular scenario. For the case of prosperity, being loved by both the state’s people and foreigners is an ideal form of leadership to portray.

At the same time, during adversity to a state, the adoption of the being feared form of leadership presents the best outcome. Nevertheless, Machiavelli’s thoughts have received numerous criticisms of their nature being tyrannical. This is because Machiavelli mainly illustrated the need for leaders to adopt cruelty in enforcing their duties. Such form of leadership is considered unethical and undesirable to achieve favorable leadership.

References

Bireley, R. (1990). The Counter-Reformation prince: anti-Machiavellianism or Catholicstatecraft in early modern Europe. University of North Carolina Press: Chapel Hill.

Clester, S. (2011). Machiavelli: the prince. Writers of the Round Table: Mundelein, IL.

Lee, R., & Walsh, J. (2002). The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli. Spark Pub: New York.

Machiavelli, N., Bondanella, P. E., & Musa, M. (1979). The portable Machiavelli. Penguin Books: Hammondsworth, Eng.

Machiavelli, N., & Rebhorn, W. A. (2003). The prince and other writings. Barnes & Noble Classics: New York.

Morris, D. (1999). The new prince: Machiavelli updated for the twenty-first century. Renaissance Books: Los Angeles.

Viroli, M. (1998). Machiavelli. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Introduction

Death is one of the topics that are considered by all people at certain period of their lives. In the vast majority of cases this topic evokes fear and despair as almost all people are afraid of death. Of course, there are people who accept this inevitable stage and have no fear. However, these people have their reasons and they have their specific ways to overcome the universal fright. These reasons are religious in character. However, it can be interesting to understand why the rest of the people are so afraid of death.

Body

Some may assume that people are afraid of pain which is often associated with death. However, this reason is secondary as many people have to live in pain due to chronic diseases. Therefore, it is not the pain that makes people tremble at the very thought of death. In fact, the major reason is the fear of the unknown. People do not know what happens next. It is universally acknowledged that people are more afraid while anticipating than when overcoming some constraints.

Of course, death is the greatest challenge that leads to something unknown. Notably, some people claim that they are afraid of non-existence as they hate the idea they will not exist anymore. Nonetheless, no one knows for sure what happens after death and this is more frightening. This makes people feel uneasy.

Conclusion

People need to know everything that happens to them. They want to understand the reason of their lives. Of course, they wish to understand the secrets of death. However, people are not able to understand these secrets and this unawareness makes them feel desperately insecure. People are not afraid of death itself, related pain or non-existence. People are afraid of the unknown.

Fear has always been the social lever that made it possible to control people and prevent suicides and the most terrible crimes. As Vonnegut pointed out, “The deepest sort of respect is the uncontrollable fear.” As we fear, we think, and as the fear disappears, we stop thinking about the consequences. And some people understand it well and make good use of it…

According to Machiavelli, fear is something that underlies the modern philosophy that he is speaking about. This is the philosophy of being a prince, of belonging to royalty.

Of course, you might ask me what kind of a prince would the one who fears make. The royal decency and honor should not allow a royal person to have any fears or even to get frightened. This is the policy of the sword and stone-cold face, and thy hands shall not tremble as you go through the ordeal.

However, the idea of a man who can eat the monsters of his own fancy has been long gone. It has been proved by modern psychologists that if a person has no fear, he is either crazy or already dead. No third solution can be possible.

Still it is of a great interest to see the way the great philosophers of the past dwelled upon this certainly scientific problem.

As Machiavelli points out, fear is an integral part of the policy of a prince, in case it bites not his royal majesty, but the people of the state.

He explains it in very plain words. Such is the human psychology that they can obey in two cases. The first is when they respect the person who gives them commands. The second case is the one when they are afraid of the person in charge.

In both cases, the crowd will obey. But the very thing is that the former situation is much less certain than the latter. The fear is something that glues the crowd as long as the reason for it exists. Meanwhile, the respect, which is harder to control, once gone, never returns. And since that certainly means a farewell to the reign of the one who was feared, the conclusion is undeniable. The fear is something that glues society together.

Nevertheless, a prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he doesn’t win love, he avoids hatred; because he can endure very well being feared whilst he is not hated, which will always be as long as he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects and from their women. (Machiavelli 90)

This is rather a cynical viewpoint, which is, actually, the most attractive feature of Machiavelli’s policy. I mean that speaking very cynic things and expressing the ideas that even modern politics could blush about, he still spoke sincerely and with the due care of the monarchy and the state. It was all the government business that he was into.

That is what we have on the one hand. Meanwhile, on the other, there is the man whose influence on world politics was just as mighty and powerful, and whose ideas were put to practice by several governments. Welcome, Thomas Hobbes, the politician that could read people’s minds just as easily as the evening paper!

Hobbes addresses the people with quite a different message. His policy lacks the sentimental Renaissance vignettes that Machiavelli is so good to draw at. Thomas Hobbes speaks openly and at times even rudely, cutting the people’s weak points like a professional surgeon.

Hobbes’ idea of fear as a part of politics underlies the very manner of ruling a state. This manner can be called totalitarian, but we shall not hurry with loud words.

According to Hobbes, the thing that can control the human mass is a fear of punishment. At this point he is quite close to the standard and, I would even say, banal, comparing the king, or the emperor, or whoever, to a father of all the citizens of the country. Like a father can punish a child for misbehaving, the monarch punishes the citizen of his state. this is how he puts this idea, making a link between the fear and the commonwealth:

THE final cause, end, or design of men (who naturally love liberty and dominion over others) in the introduction of that restraint upon themselves, in which we see them live in Commonwealths, is the foresight of their own preservation, and of a more contented life thereby; that is to say, of getting themselves out from that miserable condition of war which is necessarily consequent, as hath been shown, to the natural passions of men when there is no visible power to keep them in awe, and tie them by fear of punishment to the performance of their covenants…. (Hobbes 62)

Thus, Hobbes literally takes liberty as a dangerous factor that prevents the had of the state from keeping things in order. That is rather unexpected compared to Machiavelli’s opinion. However, again, the impact of the century and its morals must be taken into account, and the confusion must be resulting from the fact that Machiavelli was the founder of the contemporary political views and that he outran the time he was living in.

Back to Hobbes, it would be a mistake to consider him a totalitarian monster. It was just that he expressed the ideas that were the only possible way out for his country at his epoch. When the state is crushing down, Utopia is of no use.

Taking a closer look at both theories, I would like to say that each of them can prove right in due time and a certain state. Of course, Machiavelli is much more humane and has a more contemporary viewpoint, but there are the states which need a certain time to acknowledge their rights and get used to them.

It has also occurred to me that different layers of society might demand different approaches. What works right for the intelligence, proves wrong with the lower class. and, vice versa, if you are wanted to succeed in governing the upper class, you have to learn certain rules and try to achieve some compromise.

However, Hobbes realizes that it is far not that simple with the theory of fear that he exercises, and he adds that when uncontrolled, fear can become a weapon against the monarch himself:

Of all passions, that which inclineth men least to break the laws is fear. Nay, expressing some generous natures, it is the only thing (when there is appearance of profit or pleasure by breaking the laws) that makes men keep them. And yet in many cases a crime may be committed through fear. (Hobbes 204)

I want to drive your attention to the fact that Hobbes not only considers fear as the weapon for total control, as Machiavelli does but also explains that this could be the reason for people to act in a particular way. In other words, in contrast to Machiavelli, who shares the idea of the monarch to control people’s minds and emotions completely and being able to order them what to fear and what not to, Hobbs emphasizes that people can have fears of their own, which might drag certain actions of these people. A dangerous idea as it is, it questions the very power of the monarch. However, we must admit that it has a lot more common sense than the idealistic concepts of Machiavelli, who was considering the ideal people and the ideal monarch.

The key idea of the fear theory is not to go too far. Otherwise, this might lead to the consequences scarier than Worlds War I and II altogether.

However, that is as far it goes for both authors, If dealing with the ideas of each one, in particular, I would say that there are a few remarks I would like to voice now.

Perhaps, I shall start with Machiavelli.

I totally agree with the great maestro concerning the fear of the masses and that it can be a weapon to rule the state. Yet I think that his addressing, with a heavy load of a mentoring tone that kills any wish to improve one’s skills of a future conqueror, is of lesser influence. It is very soft and parental, and it does not make the impact of the king speaking to his citizens. Machiavelli’s philosophy is far too soft for the XVI century.

His fear theory is the theory of harmony and understanding, and he is speaking about the place where every single person would obey the laws for they contribute to the overall commonwealth and prosperity, and about the laws that would not rip people off their possession and be as fair and transparent as laws can be, serving the justice and the state. This is impossible even nowadays, and, of course, it was twice as impossible 500 years ago.

But concerning his subjects, when affairs outside are distributed he has only to fear that they will conspire secretly, from which a prince can secure himself by avoiding being hated and despised, and by keeping people satisfied with him, which is most necessary for him to accomplish… (Machiavelli 99)

I think you will agree that those days it sounded more than impossible, – it sounded ridiculous. A monarch cannot be just to everyone, and he always has to choose between the less of two evils.

In terms of Hobbes’ ideas of the perfect reign and the fear as the cornerstone for the control over the country and the people, I would say that he exaggerates too much. It is a good idea to make people understand that there are actions that may result in being punished and imprisoned, but using the fear of losing freedom or life to make people act the way the monarch wants is more than a half-baked idea, at least for the modern society. Someday the people will revolt, and the mutiny can result in worse than the budget money stolen or several cities burnt down. That may result in losing authority. When such a thing happens, nothing else can be done. This is the end of the monarch’s reign.

Still, they both have expressed the ideas that even modern politics still needs and makes good use of. they have built a fundament for the future political science to develop and suggest new ideas and new means of ruling a country. As Hobbes said,

“Good success is power; because it makes the reputation of wisdom or good fortune, which makes man either fear him or rely on him (58).”

And maybe someday as the political sciences develop so great that people will have no urge in being controlled to make the good citizen and prevent crimes, the promised commonwealth will glow upon the countries of the entire world, the peace, and justice to be the common principles of life.

… Or, at least, we can still dream of this day to come.

Works Cited

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. New York, NY: Forgotten Books, 1950. Print.

Machiavelli, Nicola. The Prince. Trans. W. K. Marriott. New York, NY: Plainn Label Books, 1952. Print.

Introduction

The passage that has been chosen can be found on page 31 of the novel between line 14 and 33. This passage was chosen because it carries with it one of the most dominant themes of the narrative which is the fear and intolerance of aging. The passage sets the pace for other parts of the novel which subsequently delve into this notion.

Intolerance and fear of aging

Urbino eventually realizes and asserts that “death is not a probability but an immediate reality” (Marquez, 5). He is reminiscent about the life he had lived back as an influential person in his society. His life was filled with numerous accomplishments such as travels to distant countries around the world and other great adventures.

He contrasted this to the life that he was living as an old man. At this point, his wife had to bathe him and even dress him up afterwards. He found it difficult to do even the simplest of tasks (Marquez, 31). He even comments that he feels as though he has partly decayed and is just staying alive because of the sake of it (Marquez, 41).

Dr. Urbino’s realization that death is a reality starts when he finds the body of a close friend and associate – Jeremiah Saint Amour. The first chapter describes Dr Urbino’s analysis of his dead friend; one realizes that Urbino would have loathed to be in his colleague’s shoes.

He comments that the worst is over for Amour as his physical appearance was rather pitiful. The Doctor felt that way because his friend appeared to be very old. Not only was this something that was unappealing to Urbino but it symbolized an underlying fear that he would one day end up like that. Also, the death of Amour is indicative of a deep fear of death. The doctor remarked that his friend was so afraid of aging that he preferred to take his life rather than confront the matter in his later life.

This passage sets the stage for other occurrences in the novel because it illustrates that the Urbino’s life and behavior was hugely affected by this intolerance. First of all, the manner of dressing that he selects for himself is indicative of this. He tries to wear meticulous garments so as to disguise his real age. His hair and the nature of accessories also show how the doctor is trying to resist nature’s process of aging.

It is quite interesting to note that he is willing to go to great lengths in order to overcome these inadequacies such as writing notes to himself in order to minimize the effects of his memory losses. Instead of accepting his age gracefully, Urbino chooses to use superficial methods in order to resist it yet this makes him more pitiable as readers can see the desperation hidden in these acts.

Aging and its intolerance as a theme has been illustrated through a number of descriptions given by the author as indicated in the passage and beyond. He talks about numerous characters that die or lose their grace and functionality because of age. For example, in the riverboat incident, it is discovered that the riverboat belongs to the elderly.

It is quite shocking that these people are subjected to beatings and even death because they were bold enough to pursue their love for each other despite their old age. The captain further goes on to cover up this cruel act by proclaiming that the old couple had died as a result of drowning.

For instance, one of the characters loses his teeth while another one becomes senile. Many are ashamed by how disgraceful their bodies look after growing old. In terms of the main characters, Urbino is not the only one who detests old age as Fermina Daza (his wife) and Florentino Ariza also do.

When they finally get a chance to be together during old age, Fermina is very reserved about revealing her body to her lover Florentino. She requests him to look away as she removes her clothes and even when he looks at her, he appears not to be very pleased by what he sees. She even insists on turning off the lights. This is indicative of the intolerance that they both possess for old age.

They realize that time has caught up with them and they can no longer boast of the taut bodies that they had. However, the latter two were able to overcome this intolerance when they consummate their love in the end. They embrace the fact that time has made them wiser and therefore better able to love. Therefore, love has an ability to overcome the inadequacies of aging and this initially negates earlier perceptions from the novel.

The author also illustrates that possessing so much disdain for old age is wrong because the elderly can find peace. Ofelia comments that she cannot stand the thought of love at her age and feels disgusted at the thought that her mother would also consider it. “Love is ridiculous at our age, but at theirs it is revolting” (Marquez 323.)

One can see that this society despises lifestyles of the old and is even repelled by it. Eventually, it becomes clear that not only is it possible to achieve this kind of true love but it is possible to thrive in it. The author was therefore illustrating that the perception of characters such as Ofelia are misleading and even shallow. Here, Fermina disowns this individual and looks for other ways of dealing with the revulsion. She forges a friendship with her daughter in law and even comments about her life and love.

She asserts that her life with Florentino was ruined because she was too young and naïve. However, now that she is old, her chance at love is also ruined because of her age (Marquez, 323). The author also illustrated this when death and decay overtook the characters later in the narrative.

The author also discusses the effects of aging through other non human aspects of the novel such as the landscape of the Colombian village in which this narrative is set.

“What was once idyllic landscape, now is calcinated flatlands stripped of entire forests” (Franco 236.)

At first, prior to technological changes, the village was described as very picturesque full of forest cover and natural vegetation. However, after the enormous changes that take part in the novel, this entire area becomes stripped of its natural beauty and instead becomes a centre for human activity. Therefore the passage of time or the aging of the Colombian village were also not a desirable trait to those concerned.

It is also very clear to see that a number of characters would go through great lengths in order to minimize the effects of aging. One such case was Florentino. As he was climbing up the stairs in one of the sections of the novel, he made sure that he did this carefully so as to avoid any fall. (Marquez, 313)

He often believed that old age was marked by one’s first or immediate fall. This fear was so real in Florentino that it eventually became a reality to him. When he fell, he was bedridden and had to succumb to the assistance of others. For instance, at some point, he could not bathe himself and was bathed by Cassiani.

“After bathing him, Fermina Daza helped him to …. talcum powder between his legs, she smoothed cocoa butter on his rashes, she helped him put on his undershorts with as much love as if they had been a diaper” (Marquez 31.)

It was even more shameful for him when someone else had to hold the urinal for him as he helped himself (Marquez, 316). The author was illustrating that one’s fears may eventually take control over one’s existence and trying to resist a natural thing like aging was indeed a fruitless affair.

This theme is not just insightful in revealing certain facts about the setting of the novel but it also important in teaching members of the audience lessons about age and its tolerance.

Societies today still have a disdain for the elderly but through this theme (and starting with the passage under analysis), the author has illustrated that there is hope for the elderly and they have a chance at life if they so wish. He has shown that once love is combined with aging then everything will be alright. Dr. Urbino was loved diligently by his wife until the very end.

She was willing to do seemingly humiliating things for her husband because she loved him tremendously (Marquez, 43). The two lovers Fermina and Florentino illustrate to society that old people are still passionate and still have an ability to deal with certain issues associated with their age and their development.

In this narrative, it has also been shown that sometimes the intolerance of aging can come in the way of people who truly want to achieve ultimate happiness. In other words, there is a need for those concerned to look for ways of overcoming these obstacles. For example, Fermina and Florentino wanted to be together but they were already aware of how repulsing their love would be to the public.

In order to protect themselves, they placed a yellow flag on their vessel so that other people would think that they had cholera and needed to be quarantined away from them. They needed to overcome this barrier in order to move on with their lives without having to worry about other people’s opinions. The more they got older, the stronger their love became even in the face of this adversity (Marquez, 345)

Conclusion

Most of the characters in the novel are deeply repelled by aging and they illustrate this through their sentiments towards their own bodies as they grow old or through their feelings about old people in the novel. However, the book shows that intolerance for aging can be overcome by simply understanding that love can cope with everything and it transcends such scenarios.

Work Cited

Marquez, Gabriel. Love in the time of cholera. NY: Alfred Knopf

Is terror the main motive people desist from acknowledging that peril is real and they must find a way to live in its presence? The issue comes out powerfully in the 1948 short story The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck. The fiction is centered on the existence of two young boys, Jiya, a fisherman’s offspring, and his friend Kino a farmer’s son, and the fear Jiya initially has when a storm hits his family’s house on an island. The story’s setting is in one of Japan’s tiny fishing villages located on a beach beside the ocean. Jiya lives with his family at a beach residence while his friend Kino resides on his folks’ farm, high on the mount that overlooks the sea. A deeper contemplation of the first few pages of the story reveals that Jiya is always afraid of the ocean since he understands the wrath of the storm and the changes it has brought in his life.

Kino adores the ocean, and since he takes pleasure in glancing at the waves and thinks they are stunning, he has no comprehension why the rural community people do not have the same enthusiasm towards the ocean. To Jiya, Kino’s response to why the village people never seemed to be glad about the ocean is, “The sea is our enemy” (Buck 1). That is the reason every time the two friends played on the beach, Jiya was always on the lookout, observing the sea, for he understood how the sea obliterated his fishing village. On one of the hot sunny afternoons, when the two friends were playing on the beach, Kino asked Jiya, “What are you looking for?” and Jiya responded by saying, “Only to see that the ocean is not angry” (Buck 2). Finally, the desire to know why his friend is always afraid of the sea makes Kino ask his father why Jiya is always on the lookout while they play in the ocean.

Before the storm washes Jiya’s family, his father sends him uphill to the old gentleman’s castle. Jiya’s father, upon realizing the upcoming storm, tells Jiya to go to the old gentleman’s castle. The father said, “If the ocean yields to the fires, you must live after us” (Buck 5). Unwilling, Jiya did not fancy to go to the old gentleman’s fortress, and his father tells him, “It is your duty to obey me, as a good Japanese son” (Buck 15. On his way, Jiya sees Kino and his father and chooses them over the old gentleman, and while with them, his family’s house and all other village houses are washed out to the sea. When the storm recedes, Jiya faints, realizing his family and everyone in the villager are gone, and the beach is empty. When he wakes up, Kino’s relatives tenders Jiya an abode with them since he is desolate, at the loss of his relations, and is with no place to go. The family houses on the beach are washed out to the sea because they do not have panes in front of the sea.

After the storm and Kino’s family offers Jiya a home, he decides to stay, and soon his grief is replaced with the joy he encounters at Kino’s family. Happiness began to live in Jiya once more, after days of sleeping and questioning why his family died. The excellent food prepared by Kino’s mother became his source of warmth, and his body welcomed that warmth. In Setsu, Kino’s sister, Kino, Kino’s father, and mother, Jiya could feel the love of the people that welcomed him during and after the storm. The love Jiya received “glowed like a warm and welcoming fire upon the hearth.” The love came from hearing Kino say, “Now I have a brother,” and from seeing Setsu run to him for an embrace after coming back from the wealthy old gentleman (Buck 11). Likewise, to hear Kino’s father say, “How happy you have made us,” were among the little moments that made Jiya understand the love offered, unlike how he would have lived in the old gentleman’s house (Buck 11).

In one encounter, Kino asks his father, “Father, are we not very unfortunate people to live on this island?” (Buck 7). Why his father asked, “Because the volcano is behind our house and the ocean is in front, and when they make the earthquake and the big wave, we are helpless. Often many of us are lost” (Buck 7). His response and what is considered a change in perspective make Kino rise above the fear. His father tells him, “To live amid danger is to know how good life is, To live in the presence of death makes us brave and strong” (Buck 7). As Kino is made to understand, death is the great gateway, which, unless understood, makes people fear.

Although time passes, the memories of the events leading to the death of Jiya’s family are never replaced. Jiya grows into a muscular and kind young man, and as if to repay the family for taking him in, he works on the rice farm. Over time, Jiya teaches himself to live with the reality of his family’s death, but their memory never leaves him. As a reminder of his brother and parents, Jiya often looks out at the ocean. When the time comes, and the village people rethink rebuilding their houses at the beach, Jiya decides he too will reconstruct his family’s house. Despite the old gentleman insisting they are foolish to rebuild, oblivious of any potential danger, Jiya, as if having learned that fear is inevitable, tells the gentleman that the beach is their home. Jiya’s rise above the fear manifests fully when in addition to rebuilding his family’s house, he opts to return to the sea and live the life of a fisherman like his father did.

When Kino’s father learns of Jiya’s decision, he begins to compensate him for his work at the farm. Jiya saves the money he earns and acquires a boat for himself. The strong relationship that builds over time between Jiya and Setsu results in the two planning to marry, which shocks Kino. However, after marrying, Kino misses the two and frequently visits them when they move to their new house on the beach. Knowing the waves might return, Kino constantly worries about what Jiya and Setsu will do. However, unlike his family and past neighbors, Jiya cuts a panel that looks onto the ocean, and he is confident this will make him be prepared against any upcoming waves. Fear is gone as Jiya and Setsu begin their new life at the beach.

Work Cited

Buck, Pearl S. The Big Wave. W. Ross MacDonald School Resource Services Library. 2017.