- Motivation is a very risky concept, It can be used, either for Good, or Evil. In this article we will attempt to show both sides of motivation, because used by bad or evil manipulators, it can brainwash, cause death, & wars, it's like a gun… Only as good or as bad…as the person using it…
Motivation, as with all aspects of human nature, has always been part of us, Manipulation too… Both have not always been used well…
Negative motivation comes in many faces, many ways, Gain,Conquest,Race hate, (Scapegoat!) or pure envy…
Bad Examples
Pick any evil dictator from history, they have "galvanized" a gullible public into believing pure untruths, but by that time, the motivation has been superseded by hysteria, & like a runaway train, hard to stop… Kings, Communists,Nazi's have all used it as a political tool. Governments do as well. It deflects from another issue they don't want "highlighted" or discovered…"" Send the mob, chasing the other way" goes the old adage…
Blaming other races or people, has long been a policy, A cold hard truth, that people in power have long known, People are easily brainwashed! (Which is why i "preach" so much about education, selfawareness, manipulation,etc, ) to stop it happening…! Below are some bad examples.
Religion
More wars, more death & misery, have been fought in the name of religion, than anything else in history, it continues yet, Religous belief is a fundamental factor among all walks of any society, its by far the easiest way, both to motivate & "manipulate" peoples. Religon is spiritual, its supposed to be a moral compass…yet all the above, have happened in its name. Man being man again!
The Persecution Of Early Christians.
Starting as its origin in Palestine, mainly at the behest of the ruling Jewish upper class & Kings, who felt the "teachings" of Jesus, were a threat to their power, Early Christians became the focus for derision among many, The hidden motivation being, Isreali sects of the time lacked unity of purpose, so blaming Christians, was an attempt to "galvanize & unify" It really didn't work, But the idea of Christians as a threat, spread all the way to Rome itself, leading to martyrdom, torture,villifaction,
It must be said, that by that time, Christianity had taken a firm root in Roman society, & unlike the groundless paranoia of Palestine, at least there were some mitigating factors… Eventually Rome, at the end of Constantine time became Christian…
Christianity & Islam
Again, conflicting belief caused death misery, hardship,on a huge scale, People knew little either of the Middle- East or of the culture there, So Papal manipulation & motivation, were used to paint a dreadful picture of the happenings there, In truth, people had lived there for centuries, practicing their faith, side by side, with no conflict or hatred so the "focusing" was very probably politically motivated… Either way, it cost the lives of many…
Motivation for Gain
Conquest Of The Americas promised the prospect of untold riches, Of El Dorado, Of Inca gold, And while the Inca DID have gold, it was never on the scale exaggerated by the motivators, Whose real "motive"was "colonization" To do that, they needed to spread the story mentioned, that would bring people, motivated by the lure of wealth… Disease,cruelty, forced conversions, were the fate of the Inca, & many other smaller tribes in South America, But the ultimate motivating goal was achieved… Colonisation…
Military Motivators
Alexander the Great, Caesar,Genghis Khan, later Napoleon Bonaparte all used the motivation of "plunder" both to keep their commands unified, & to ensure both fighting spirit & high moral among their forces, They appealed to that most base instinct of human nature… Greed… It worked, all of these great leaders knew this, For Saladin, it was a war of theology, later for the great McArthur, a moral war… Either way unity of purpose ensured victory, the motivation worked… These men were not stupid…
Motivators For Good
Life has, as does history, its checks & balanced, for every "bad" motivator. There are also many who were good…
Winston Churchill
Isolated politically, even from his own party, Winston Churchill was called upon, to save England, for one sole reason… No one else knew how!
Resources were depleted, the much vilified Chamberlain had bought a little time, (Baldwin being the real culprit, for Britain's defenseless state!) Given the choice of the probable appeaser Halifax & Winston, Fate chose Winston… From the start, this Master orator set about motivating the British people, Being a born fighter, he imbued the public with his own defiant qualities… The national spirit rose beyond belief… Even the disaster of Dunkirk, did not diminish it… From that point, from the victories at El Alamein, through the victorious "Battle Of Britain, the galvanized motivated people never flinched… After December 7th & Pearl Harbor Churchill wrote "I slept the sleep of the saved & thankful" The disastrous Dieppe raid apart, from there it was "glory" all the way… A wonderful example of how one visionary man, with a positive courage…can change a Nation, & history…
Ghandi
Mohandas K Ghandi, at times is misunderstood, for a start, modern era has portrayed him as a "pacifist" which he actually wasn't… But they forget, Ghandi, was also a highly successful lawyer, & vastly bright, But…he knew how much life had been lost during the "Indian Mutiny" of 1857 and didn't want a repeat of it, so he devised the idea of "non co -operation, & motivated his people to use it… It worked…in 1948 India became Independent…
Motivational History
The books are littered by great motivational speeches, All designed to focus, to galvanize, either for a cause, a war, a national interest… Who can forget Martin Luther King I have A Dream!" Lincolns Gettysburg Address, Nelsoɲ "England Expects" Inspirational people in turn inspire nations, Today if we are not motivated, its not because it's worse…It's that we lack inspirational visionary leaders to lead us… Mediocre breeds a mediocre society… We need to change these things, If we do…, It will be to the benefit of our lives, our Nations life, & the global world…
Ivan
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