JULY 27th - Fear and Love



On this day in 1943, Joseph Stalin issued Order No. 227. What was Order No. 227, you ask? It was a proclamation that outlawed cowardice. How do you outlaw cowardice? You declare that if any Russian soldiers attempt to retreat in the wake of a German advance they will be “liquidated on the spot.” "Liquidated" didn't mean dissolving assets either. Stalin meant that if you took one step backward, you would be shot. Dead. By your own officers. It was a motivational tactic--one that was ultimately unnecessary as the Russians got to the German food supply. Fear, love--you cut off the enemy's food supply in a barren frozen winterland, and that stuff kind of goes out the window. You have to figure fear was just Stalin’s style though. He didn’t so much motivate through using the warm and fuzzies. He was about fear. You don’t become responsible for 20 million deaths by handing out hugs and handshakes. It is an interesting debate about what is the better motivator. Love or fear. While I don’t have a lot of experience leading people, I would have to believe that love is the stronger force. Perhaps I’ve just watched too much Star Wars--fear leads to the Dark Side. Don’t think you can argue that Stalin had a bit of darkness going on. In my amateur observations, I’ve always thought that love is the way to go, but is also harder to achieve. It is not easy to get people to genuinely love you. Love you so much that they will make sacrifices. Fear is the shortcut. And it can be powerful. If I bump into Brock Lesnar, I’d motivated to do anything he asked me to for fear of getting my femur snapped. But I wouldn’t take a bullet for the guy. That's reserved only for those I love. When you are working within an element of hate and darkness, it probably is the way to go. I mean how would Michael Corleone get people to love him? But most people aren’t the head of the mafia. So is it better to feared or loved? Michael Scott has the best answer. Best for people to fear how much they love you. And if you can't do either, just take away their food.

This Day has been Marked.

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