This week was very focused on law and leadership... perfect considering we have the lovely task of writing essays on either law or leadership. Since my last blog was focused on law, I guess this time I can focus on leadership.
Today in class we had a good discussion on leadership, and on Goodwin's "Ten Traits of a Great President". One of the most disturbing things that I thought about was the fact that Hitler was a good leader. Yes, I know that Hitler was a horrible man and that what he did was wrong, but he was effective in what he did. I don't agree with anything Hitler did, but the way he did it was profound. His ability to stay confident and in control was probably one of the most important things he did as a leader. He was also able to inspire others and make them believe that what he was doing was the right thing. If he hadn't been able to convince everyone that Jews or gypsies or homosexuals were bad, then he would have failed as a leader. Even his morality helped him be a successful leader. I'm not saying that I agree with Hitler's morals, but what he was doing, he believed was right, therefore he believed he was doing what he though was morally right. Hitler was also willing to take a risk, and he was rewarded in his own way.
Connecting this with Oedipus and Antigone... I think Oedipus started out as a good leader because he was always in control and the people respected him. His downfall, though, was that he never accepted beliefs that were opposite of his own. If people contradicted him, he didn't want to hear it; he always thought he was right. I believe Creon had his downfall because he defied the laws of the gods and offended them. Leaders are there to enforce laws, not to break them.
Leadership takes a lot of strength and courage, and only certain people have the ability to lead. No matter what happens, leaders must stay strong and confident. They must be able to listen to other viewpoints and understand where that's coming from. They must be able to make mistakes and learn from them. Leaders must do all of this and a lot more to be successful. But if the respect of everyone you lead is won, then the rest will be easier.
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