There were quite a few different statements to choose from, but I settled on the following outrageous statement. Machiavelli is talking about the reasons why men are praised or blamed-especially princes. He says, "Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires." And later, "If he possibly can, he should also guard against vices that will not lose him his state; but if he cannot prevent them, he should not be too worried about indulging them" (42-43).
Machiavelli is half right in his statement. He was correct in saying that one should guard against vices that will lose him his state, or his people. However, he says that if one cannot prevent them he should freely indulge them, which is completely false. From a gospel perspective, this sort of thinking is contrary to what is taught in the scriptures. Never did the Lord say, "Be thou perfect; but if it gets too hard, go ahead and do whatever your evil heart wants!" NO! If one has a difficult vice it is not right to give up and indulge; life is about overcoming, not giving up.
Is Machiavelli's statement true today? Unfortunately, it is more and more becoming the popular opinion. It seems that society used to favor self control and harnessing appetites, but it is quickly turning into Machiavelli's way of life: when life gets hard, INDULGE! It seems to be an opinion of our population about our leaders, too. The thoughts seem to be, "you know, he has a hard job; we shouldn't be too hard on him." "If he wants to do some questionable things, who are we to say no?" How about holding leaders accountable?! Aren't leaders put in leadership roles because they have set themselves apart as people that can get things done, that can put off instant gratification and work towards a higher goal?! Leaders are held to a higher standard because that's what they were elected for, not Machiavelli's 'give up and gorge' attitude. Whether prince or president, do the job right, or get right out of the job.
I agree! Our leaders should be held to a higher standard than they are now. The attitude of instant gratification and indulgence in whatever you want is leading us places we don't want to go. Leaders should be better than vices.
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