On the Treatise of Rule

A unique problem

I come now to the last page where I wish to discuss a particular problem.
The problem is that the rulers in MagicDuel usually have very few or no outside enemies on whom they could perform cruel deeds. While this is naturally a good thing for the servants, it could pose a problem for the leaders. To be feared is hard and, without enemies, it is difficult to prove yourself as someone who should be feared, if a particular ruler wanted to be feared, that is. To unify your people against a great threat, or an “enemy of the state,” is also a problem when there is no enemy. When there is no enemy, the people can easily focus on their own goals. And sometimes this leads to domestic trouble, and the leader is then stuck with having the task of executing punishment within the land’s ranks, risking hatred. Should this happens, the people also show themselves to be far less united.

A leader without an enemy could also fall into a dull state and simply focus on his or her own selfish goals. This could lead to a slow but steady decline in power and reputation of the land itself, and the servants could no longer feel any loyalty towards the land and simply leave. I, having witnessed this before, find it absolutely deplorable and it should be avoided at all costs. Thus I give you some solutions.

To ignore the fact that one has almost no enemies and to think that one should just focus on selfish goals instead of the broader goals of the land is, in my opinion, a bad move in. But there is a way one could try to make this work: it is to realize that a leader has to change. The land’s goals should become the ruler’s goals, or should, at least, share some. This way, the leader or leaders stay up-to-date on what is going on in the land, and they keep their servants loyal and united, as long as there is a clear goal. The goal of course, should not invite hatred, but that should be obvious. Do not be mistaken, though, that line is very thin. If a ruler does the opposite and makes his or her goals the goals of the land, he or she could swiftly, and without noticing it, incur the hatred of the servants who do not wish to follow such a selfish ruler.

There is another option, but it could be seen as ethically wrong, although that is debatable. One could, as a ruler, create a group, person, or object and turn it into an enemy. The land is sure to be united in the face of a common enemy, and while this would allow the ruler to be cruel and gain the love and fear of his or her people, the energy put into it could have been put to use in finding the solution mentioned above. Besides that, this solution, while potentially very effective, is, at the very least, ethically debatable. It is certainly for the good of the land in the aspect that they follow their ruler. But there is always a chance of getting caught in the lie. One must also wonder if the ruler is comfortable with lying to your servants.
Realize thus that the road to hell be paved with good intentions.

While I usually end with a summary of all I have written, I will end with a simple thank you for reading it. And please, let it be clear that I did not intend to slander, make fun of, or damage the reputation of anyone, directly or indirectly, mentioned in this article. If so, I apologize, but these are my own opinions and I would be hard-pressed to edit them.
Hopefully you have enjoyed it, and even though there are better thinkers out there with superior writing skills, I hope you found this article useful.