A talent for politics is not a bad thing, but defining politics in such a limited way certainly is. If you've ever talked your way through a toll booth or convinced your Mom to let you feed your broccolli to the dog, you've not only practiced politics but demonstrated a talent for it.
Politicing is a fundamental human activity that everyone practices and, even though we demonize it, politics will keep our civilization from being just another bug on the windshield of history.
Dictatorships, even "benevolent" ones, are doomed to failure not because of any moral lack but because of their inherent inefficiency. Rule by compulsion works only as long as the compulsion is applied effectively and often. Look back into history, and you'll see the rusting hulks of dictatorships that either forgot this principle or ran out of resources applying it.
The nature of our society demands that our leaders be good politicians. Leaders who are poor practitioners, no matter how well-meaning or technically adept, will fail.
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A talent for politics is not a bad thing, but defining politics in such a limited way certainly is. If you've ever talked your way through a toll booth or convinced your Mom to let you feed your broccolli to the dog, you've not only practiced politics but demonstrated a talent for it.
Politicing is a fundamental human activity that everyone practices and, even though we demonize it, politics will keep our civilization from being just another bug on the windshield of history.
Dictatorships, even "benevolent" ones, are doomed to failure not because of any moral lack but because of their inherent inefficiency. Rule by compulsion works only as long as the compulsion is applied effectively and often. Look back into history, and you'll see the rusting hulks of dictatorships that either forgot this principle or ran out of resources applying it.
The nature of our society demands that our leaders be good politicians. Leaders who are poor practitioners, no matter how well-meaning or technically adept, will fail.