★ Six ★

[bigstebowski]

[Private]

Seemingly as though carried off by the silent breath of the night, people come and go.

An angel. A child. A mad king. All without word, they have left.

...I pity the world that king returns to. A nation ruled by such a man has nothing but pain and failure awaiting it in the future. So different our opinions were, I had trouble

Comments

[darkmastern]

Of course! I believe it's a leader's duty to keep his subjects strong, To encourage them when they're down, and to show bravery in the face of danger! I mean.. if the leader doesn't show courage, then why would his followers do anything more?

A good leader should get his soldiers to fight with him, rather than for him, at least.. that's what I believe anyway!

[bigstebowski]

Very good, Raspberyl. That is what I believe as well.

[ttlyanoracle]

Well, sure. A good leader need to make sure their subjects are taken care of somehow, and the weaker ones protected. If you let your underlings sit around defenseless and in poverty, they're not going to follow you, and they'll probably rebel or die. Stuff like that makes it easy for someone else to come in and take over, too.

At least, that's how it should be.

[bigstebowski]

Hmhm. As wise as always. I am very happy about your answer, Pram.

[ttlyanoracle]

A good Overlord has to know these things, or they don't have a chance in hell of staying in power.

I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries but, what's got you motivated to ask about a leader's duty? You seem like a more than capable leader to me.

[bigstebowski]

I enjoy learning of the thoughts and beliefs of my friends and acquaintance. I have a bad habit of being curious.

...Although I admit that I have been questioning myself now and again.

[theysaidiwasmad]

A good leader needs to bring order and safety to his subjects. Otherwise you have chaos, and with chaos a leader has no power beyond what he can hold on through sheer charisma and trickery.

So, yes.

[bigstebowski]

Yes, chaos brings about nothing but destruction. Through sheer force of will, a leader can hold together chaos for only so long; inevitably, they will fail.

It's quite an interesting quandary for myself, really: as a leader I must foster order, but as a demon I thrive for chaos.

[theysaidiwasmad]

You know, I can't say I've really noticed much difference between demons and humans beyond the pointy ears and the absurd life span. Are you really sure you thrive for chaos?

[bigstebowski]

The smell of blood, the tearing of flesh, the crushing of bones, the screams of the defeated, attaining the greatest power possible while climbing the corpses of the defeated: these are things of chaos that even I, deep down, crave.

Some demons wallow in chaos and use it to their advantage. I, however, find it wholly inelegant and temper my inner urges.

[realfakehero]

As a Commissar, I feel I have some expertise on this matter. All leaders accept the duty of the lives of their followers. It is upon them to decide when to sacrifice and when to preserve their loyal servants. They must make the choice to best preserve the greatest part of their dominion, and if necessary they must destroy part of it so that the rest might live.

However, a wise and fair leader knows to always seek an alternative, for every life is precious and cannot be squandered recklessly.

[bigstebowski]

Indeed. As reluctant as I am to admit it, it is an inevitable requirement for any leader to eventually make sacrifices for the greatest good while at the same time appreciating and attempting to protect each precious life.

It is very likely the greatest burden one could ever have placed upon one's shoulders.

[realfakehero]

Indeed. There is a lot of things they teach you at the Schola before a cadet becomes a commissar, but that's one of the things they gloss over. Oh they say that it is a great honor to shoulder a part of the Emperor's burden, but they never mention how heavy that actually feels.

[bigstebowski]

The problem with trying to teach a soldier how that burden feels is that it is difficult for one to truly understand that burden until they have actually shouldered it themselves. That said, anyone training soldiers should attempt to explain it to the best of their abilities. It's a pity that most do not.

Which makes me wonder: is it because they become so distant to their own soldiers that they forget what the burden feels like or are they simply paper-pushing bureaucrats that have never experienced it to begin with?

[biggestguns]

Of course. A leader is someone people have to decide to follow. Even if you have a king, that doesn't make him the leader if people don't accept that. So...since people chose to be there, he or she has to be someone worth following, and he has to look after the people who decided to join him.

At least, that's how I've seen it. I've been lucky enough to know two truly great leaders back home.

[bigstebowski]

My, my, what a world I have found myself in: every woman as wise as they are beautiful.

Yes, you are entirely correct; subordinates, soldiers, citizens: they all choose who to follow. They can be forced to follow to an extent, but it is not the same as if they had chosen of their own free will. This is something many leaders...forget.

Those leaders must truly have been great for someone such as yourself to speak so strongly of them, Miss Yoko.

1/2

[biggestguns]

Oh, you flatterer, you.

[biggestguns]

And yeah, they were. I guess I'm pretty lucky to have had the chance to meet them.