Nation Building and the Origin of Government, Period 5, Class 15, Thursday, 4-21

[glasses-justice.livejournal.com]

Alex was sitting on the edge of her desk when the students filed in.

"So," she said. "I thought about giving a final, but I wasn't exactly sure what that should look like. Most of this class has been a thought experiment, where I was trying to challenge your preconceived notions about how government, quote-unquote, 'should' work. I was hoping you'd gain different perspectives from talking with classmates who had other experiences, and I think for the most part, that has been a success. At least, I hope so."

So far as she could tell from this end, anyway.

"There are a few questions on the papers I'm about to pass out, right now, but this isn't really a final in the typical sense. Be honest, answer the questions as well as you can, and don't feel that your grade is going to rest on the result."

And with that, she was handing out the sheets of paper, face-down.

"Once you've finished, you can go."

Comments

Re: Final Exam, Question 3 - NAT15

[thegirl-onfire.livejournal.com]

Their experience. Unless there is a monarchy -- in which case the experience must be gathered -- no one is born into leadership. A leader should have walked among her people, and seen what they all see, and known what it feels like to be ruled. A leader should not rule from where she can't see her own feet. She's ineffective unless she understands the mentality of those she leads.

The most important trait, going hand-in-hand with that idea, is compassion. A leader must understand and sympathize. There are times when harshness is needed, yes, but if you rule by force, all you're doing is proving you can't rule by words.