Rihla # 17

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1. Do you agree with Castiglione's description of what makes a man IDEAL? Why or why not? Do you think men like that exist today?

Castiglione's description of an ideal man is appealing. Who would not want a man to be everything that is expected of him? Although the thought of the ideal man as Castiglione describes him is intriguing, it is not real. As far as my opinion goes, a man is entitled to have flaws just as a woman is. Humans are not perfect and the idea of an ideal man existing is spooky. With that said, I do not agree with Castiglione's descriptions of what makes an ideal man. I also do not think that men that fit the description of the ideal man exist today. There are so many definitions as to what ideal means that it is impossible for one description of the ideal man to exist. I think it is safe to infer that during the time that Castiglione lived, society was ruled by what is acceptable and what is not. In 2012, people are more liberal and are less afraid of being different.


2. Why do you think Castiglione THOUGHT men should live and act the way he described?

Castiglione probably thought that men should live and act the way he described so that they could earn a good reputation. If a man displayed many talents, intelligence, grace, speaking and written skills, and exemplary behavior toward women and others, then he would be an honorable man. If a man acted and lived as Castiglione describes, a man would be successful.


3. Do you think it is better to lead through fear or love? Explain fully.

Let me first mention that because a person is loving, he or she does not show weakness in any way. Based on my personality and values, I believe it is better to lead with love. The reason for my thinking is because when a leader instills fear upon people whom he or she leads, it is not true that the people respect the leader. Of course, it is true that people are less likely to rebell if fear is instilled upon them. However, a leader who is loving does not let his or her people make a fool of him. A loving leader will reprimand a those who do not show respect or show intolerence to rules established. A leader who loves does not need to intill fear; instead, the leader shows authority.

4. Choose any leader throughout world history (you will likely have to do some research here) and create an argument that presents this individual as leading either by love OR fear –

<span>· How do you know this? What is your evidence? What was the effect of this leadership style?

<span>A leader that lead not by fear but love was Jesus Christ. As is mentioned in Colossians 1:15, Jesus is "the image of the invisible God." Becuase he is the image of God, he shows love, joy, peace, etc. <span>WIth that said, he showed love and compassion for all people. An example of his love is when he cured many of sickness, granted the blind the favor of seeing, and restored life (John 7:21). His love for people drove him to help them in ways seen never before. Jesus also showed his love through example; one example of this is found in John 13:14 : therefore, if I, although Lord and Teacher washed your feet, you also ought to wash the feet of one another. When Jesus did this, he did not do it to belittle himself. Rather, he did it to show that he was humble and did not see himself as someone who is superior to who he taught. Even though he was killed unjustly, the result of his love can seen with the multitude of people that became and continue to be obedient to the faith (Acts2:41, 4:4, 6:7).

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