Fear
My view is that the fear of consequences is the best way to motivate someone, I believe this because everyone fears the consequences of their actions and that is what motivates them to do the right thing. This has also been discussed in Machiavelli’s the Prince when he examines whether it is better to be feared or loved. In the Taliban’s rule they also use fear instead of any other form of ruling. Fear consumes us and motivates us to buy items that we see, advertisements do a great job of playing the peoples fears.
In Machiavelli’s the Prince it says that it would be perfect if a person could be both feared and loved, but being both feared and loved is hard. But when someone has a choice the best way to motivate someone is through fear not love. Machiavelli also warns there is a difference between fear and hatred, and you should not be hated only feared. For someone that you love it is easier to betray them, versus when someone is feared you do what they say.
When the Taliban take over Lafita’s city they do not take any measures to win over the people, instead they fear the people into submission. The Taliban show that by making the people afraid the people comply with their wishes. The First days that the Taliban take over ruling they kill the old rulers and hang them in the public view. This serves to fear the entire population into submission and than the Taliban have control. The Taliban create laws against women and make them so afraid that many do not even leave their houses.
If the Taliban had instead tried to win over the people by love and generosity they would not have accomplished the complete take over. The only way that they managed to take over was with their fear, imagine instead that the Taliban had come into the city and changed nothing. They would be perceived as merciful rulers and than disorder would rise because they would have no reason to follow the orders of the Taliban.
Many advertisements play on our fears, for example, I’m afraid that robbers will come into my house and steal all of my stuff. What could we do, buy a house alarm system so that if someone does try to break into my house they will be caught. People are very motivated by their fears especially when it comes to natural disasters. For example when a hurricane or tsunami are predicted people are motivated to stock up on canned foods and gas.
The same fear also goes for shortages of specific items. When it is reported that there will be a shortage of a specific item such as gas people tend to go out and want to buy gasoline. They fear that when they need gasoline none will be available so they stock up on it when they fear none will be available later.
What if we ask ourselves if fear does not motivate us what does? Do we stop at a stoplight merely because it is red, or because of the fear that we will be hit by another car if we do not stop. When we choose not to speed in our cars is it because we don’t want to, or because we are afraid of the speeding ticket we will get if we are caught. I believe that it is only the fear of consequences that motivates us to follow laws and rules.
