Which do you think is the most powerful leader?
The leader that can convince his people to follow his example, and trust him.
Or the leader that threatens his people, and carries a big gun.
Any thoughts?
Who is more powerful? A leader that convinces people, or threatens/kills?
by DavidChristopher 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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ColdRedRain
Simple answer: Look in the real world. Saddam isn't the president of Iraq. George W. Bush is the president of the USA. GWB has convinced a large sum of people that he's a better leader than his opposition party. Saddam hasn't. If some country decided to invade our soil and take GWB prisoner, their soldiers would end up looking like swiss cheese and GWB will be even more popular than ever. (The radical left would welcome those soldiers but liberals tend to be less armed by conservatives, leading to a total lopsided victory) The same happened to Saddam and he's relegated to growing ugly beards and using stall tactics in his war tribunal trial.
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MungoBaobab
Yes, but the only reason Saddam is no longer leader of Iraq is because George Bush had a bigger gun. As you yourself point out, anyone that comes against the US ends up looking like Swiss cheese.
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DavidChristopher
So you are going to give GWB all your freedom to protect you from the big bad OBL. Then let GWB put a gun to your head, and make you do as he says. What happens when he is the source of your terror? Who is going to save you then? It is funny, you worship the person threatening you, and they consider it "spying", and hate you for it.
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jgnat
A leader that maintains power by brute force will only last as long as he is stronger than all his opponents. Typically his reign does not survive his death.
A leader that builds a nation's infrastructure and confidence builds a legacy that may survive his death. This is very difficult to do and is a great gift, though it may not help him personally. Some of these great leaders, in my opinion:
King Juan Carlos http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_of_Spain
Ghandi http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/mahatma_ghandi.htm
Gorbachev http://www.mikhailgorbachev.org/
All three of these countries were freed from tyranny, peacefully. India is quietly becoming a great nation. I believe the other two will as well. These men held key positions to turn an entire nation around, without resorting to brute force. They gave the world a permanent legacy and a model of leadership to follow. How noble, how worthy!
But HECK, if all you want is POWER, go for the top job in the biggest nation. It'll turn your hair grey, but what the hey? That's the price you pay for being the most POWERFUL leader on the planet.
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TallTexan
A leader who leads by force will only have control as long as he is immediately in a position to impose sanctions upon that follower. The follower follows out of fear and only when afraid he will get caught.
A leader who leads by the 'cult of personality' (for lack of a better term) motivates his followers to follow even when he is not in a position to impose sanctions. They follow because they want to and believe it's right.
How many of us followed JW teachings even when no one was around because we thought it was the right thing to do?
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tetrapod.sapien
The leader that can convince his people to follow his example, and trust him.
well, at least 49% of them anyways...
Or the leader that threatens his people, and carries a big gun.
who? george dubbya?
if he is able to convince his people to trust him by using a big gun on them, then he is more like sadam. if he convinces his people to trust him by using his big gun on little sheep herders and rice patty farmers, then the people who voted for him, are him. put that in your democracy pipe and smoke it.
TS
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FairMind
Short Term = a person who threatens or kills
Long Term = a Leader who convinces people
A person who threatens or kills is not IMO a leader. Unhappy people revolt so this type person is more likely to be overthrown.
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Forscher
I am going to bring in another George, George Washington. I know that is a fad these days to paint him as a racist etc., but think about him for just a bit. George Washington was just such a charismatic leader as being asked about here. He was so well liked, that the Army plotted at one point to make him Emperor of the Colonies! Yet, he stopped them form doing it, and the only reason our federation has lasted so long without the troubles that others like it (Argentina, whose Constitution was mirrored on our own) is because George set the precedent which our military follows to this day of the military staying out of the political arena. He set the precedents which pretty much govern the best of how U.S. presidents conduct their affairs in office. Yes, George Washington was so well liked by his contemporaries that he was not only idolized by our nation, but his influence continues to this day!
The same can be said of Napoleon. He was a charismatic leader who's soldiers would follow him to their deaths, as thousands did during his disasterous Russian campain. He was so well liked by those he convinced, that his influence continues through the law system he set in place throughout Europe, and one State (Louisianna) in the U.S.A..
Dictators, like Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, and many others in history, usually have to watch their backs. When they are gone, people usually try to out them behind them. Their power may appear great, but it is shaky and when they grow weak, they get over thrown or conquered.
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Jake99
A leader who convinces people to follow him is far more likely to succeed from start to finish. When I was 25 the team of Teamsters that worked for me gave me a tee shirt that said President ITT on it as a going away gift. I supervised a small operation that swept the quarterly company awards for the year I was with them. It became the normal every where I went and I never needed a gun or strong arm tactics for the next 20 years in other facilities either. Point being if you are doing things the right way, everyone is happy to follow your lead. Peace and prosperity goes a long way in creating happiness among followers, I see none of that under the wasteful and destructive leadership of GW Bush or any of the leaders before him. I have been where they are trying to go and they will never get to the destination using the systems thay use.