When neither their property nor their honor is touched the majority of men live content. – Niccolò Machiavelli
They can all be content so long as some consideration given to their needs.
What does that mean?
This is another Twitter-friendly quote excerpt :
“It makes him hated above all things, as I have said, to be rapacious, and to be a violator of the property and women of his subjects, from both of which he must abstain. And when neither their property nor honour is touched, the majority of men live content, and he has only to contend with the ambition of a few, whom he can curb with ease in many ways.”
Historically, this is a very interesting quote. He is warning the Princes of the Italian Renaissance era city-states against excesses in their behavior. In a slightly longer version of the quote, he says that if you leave their women and fortunes alone, most men are not particularly concerned with who their governors are. The long quote finishes with mentioning that the few who do object can be handled by other means.
This quote is useful in any group dynamic, as most people tend to be fairly easy-going, unless you get into something they feel strongly about. The quote, then, is a cautionary remark to know the people you are working with (or are in authority over) and help yourself by not stirring them up. This could be applied to anything from a family dynamic, a team at work, a group of friends or the neighbors.
Why is being considerate of others important?
While some people live to ruffle feathers, most of us do not. By being considerate of others, we can help keep things moving smoothly. It’s another of the social lubricants, designed to keep the human tribe moving smoothly and efficiently.
By not annoying others, we help reduce their stress, and therefore the total stress of the group. Minor annoyances are unavoidable, and major annoyances are sometimes inevitable, given the variety of things that can cause annoyance to members of any sizable group.
Also, being considerate can help you engender some good will with those who are sufficiently aware of what you are (or are not) doing. With any luck, they will, in turn, do what they can to be considerate to you in return. That’s part of the social lubricant I mentioned earlier.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Where can’t you use this? While some could make an argument that being considerate had little place in strict disciplinary environments, like the military or prisons, I would argue that there is some room for a little consideration, so long as discipline is not endangered.
While the quote was targeted at a leader, consideration goes all directions, from leader down, from rank-and-file up, and between peers. All benefit from consideration being given both to their needs and wants, as well as the needs and wants of others.
As I mentioned before, with any group larger than one, you will have some contradictory stances from time to time. Most often they are minor, but sometimes there can become real issues. This is the ‘other-than-majority’ portion of people, whom the quote mentions will have to be dealt with by other means.
Now, to specifics. Grab some paper and write down all the groups of people of which you are a member. Social groups, groups at work, even your family groups (you do make considerations when you are with your more distant relations, right?).
For each group, write down what you are careful not to do or say, and why. Specifically mention for whom you are being considerate when behaving in this manner. This may take a few moments, but I think it’s worth the effort to gain clarity of how often you already do these things, and for whom.
Scan over the list. If it seems rather short, you’re either an extreme introvert (like me), or you are having trouble getting into the assignment. If so, try to either make a few new friends or go over the preceding paragraphs and get some new groups to list, and some additional people to add to your list of people to whom you give considerations.
The flip side is also an interesting exercise. For each group you listed above, which people annoy you? Some of them will be annoying due to personality quirks or other objections, others will be for other reasons. Which of those are because those people don’t give you the consideration you feel you deserve?
Had you ever thought of the situation in this manner before? Do you think you could take a moment and talk with them about the issue, before it becomes a problem (or an even bigger problem) for the group? That would be the considerate thing to do, wouldn’t it?
I hope you can see that showing consideration is a key element in the human condition and a necessary part of group interaction. So don’t mess with anyone’s ‘property or honor’ and things should go well for you. Or at least better than they would if you weren’t being considerate.
From: Twitter, @YukikoMacleod31
confirmed at : http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_Machiavelli This is the first quote in Chapter 19 (about 1/3 of the way into the quoted paragraphs), which is about half way down the page.
Photo by AGoK
