Essay Sample on the King: He Who Loves not His Country, Can Love Nothing

Who is a king? According to the Britannica dictionary, it is a male who governs a territory or a nation. He is the embodiment of rules, law, order, power, and traditions. People obey all his words. What will happen to a county that is governed by the wrong person? Mufasa once said, “While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give”. It means that a royal person should not only benefit from the deserved or inherited power. It means that a true leader takes care of the land and people who wait for his wise commands. What makes a good king? Love. A loving mother will never leave her child alone. If a king loves his country and respects people, he will never abandon them. If a king does not love his motherland, he will never succeed. Love is a bridge that helps people understand each other. Five things turn a man into a king.

The first thing that is a must for a king is patriotism. It is not mere love of a country where a king lives. People can fall in love and betray. The notion of ‘patriotism’ does not include the notion of ‘betrayal’. If a person is devoted to one’s country, every step, decision, and breath will be taken for the motherland’s favor. Great kings never escaped from countries that were at war. They accepted challenges with dignity. Even though not all kings participated in bloody battles, most of them did a harder job. It is hard to send millions of young, old, experienced, and immature warriors to death. It is not easy to plan a battle strategy, weigh all the pros and cons, and predict the outcome of a battle. When an average warrior might give up and run away, a true king does not have such a privilege. His job is to stay calm, cool, and organized. The reason is simple. Millions of eyes are watching his every movement, word, and decision. When something bad happens, people expect to hear a voice of their consciousness and a smart solution to the existing problems. Only patriots are ready to bear this burden from the first till the last day of their governance. As Lord Byron said, “He who loves not his country, can love nothing”. One cannot protect and love things he does not know. So, a true king must love his motherland with all his heart because it is a cradle of his children, a shelter of his people, and a place for his nation’s future.

The second thing that makes an exemplary king is honesty and justice. People will never follow a leader who is not honest and fair with them. Honesty and justice are integral parts of love. Even an angry mother will never punish or mistreat her child. Except for the governed countries, kings also have their families. It is hard to consider the needs of every citizen and the wishes of personal kids and wives. Kingship becomes unbearable when a family member commits a crime. How to remain honest and fair when you must punish the one who shares one blood with you? Nevertheless, justice is a tool that lets a king keep harmony in the country. Injustice initiates conspiracies, rebels, and murders. Many monarchs such as Cleopatra, Peter the Great, Henry VIII killed their partners and children. Today, civilization lets monarchs punish and provide justice differently, however it has never been an easy and simple solution. Besides, family members must follow the rules of the kingdom. Some kings decide the destiny of their children to guarantee prosperity. They marry them, send them to wars, and make them work hard for the sake of a country’s prosperity.

Ignorant kings will never make clever decisions. That is why the third factor is knowledge. When a person is going to inherit the throne or be elected, his first task will be to learn as much as possible about the kingdom. He should be aware of its strong and weak sides. He must be a good politician to guide people wisely. He should know political, economic, cultural, military, and other aspects that are essential for a country’s well-being. A wise king knows how many people are engaged in different life areas. Knowledge prevents people from making wrong decisions.

Leadership must be a part of a king’s nature. A true leader must be courageous, decent, ambitious, curious, systematic, strict, and anxious about everything that takes place not only inside the country but abroad as well. Such things are vitally important because people must trust the person who guides them. They must be ready to entrust their lives in the hands of a leader. Moreover, a king must be a good speaker. His speech must consist of words that can touch the hearts of billions, make them rise, follow and obey no matter what happens. A king’s speech must encourage and inspire in difficult times.

The last ingredient of a perfect king is belief. Different nations believe in different things. Some people cannot live without churches because their faith in God is unshakable. Some people believe in order and justice. Others will sacrifice their lives for the sake of cultural and traditional prosperity. A leader must trust in the same things as his people. It is impossible to be respected and followed if he does not respect his history, people, customs, and traditions. A king’s policy must coincide with things that people regard as the priority. His job is to unite the whole kingdom and allow everyone to believe in a better future.

A king is a person who knows the desires of everyone. Fulke Greville called kings the greatest slaves in the whole kingdom. The loving king who does not love his country can hardly love at least something in the whole world. Motherland is our shelter. If we do not take care of it, we are doomed. Patriotic kings are the best examples to follow.

Sources       

1. Aoa5356. “What Makes a Good Leader?” PennState, 8 June 2015, sites.psu.edu/leadership/2015/06/08/what-makes-a-good-leader-2.
2. Greenspan, Jesse. “Why Peter the Great Tortured and Killed His Own Son.” HISTORY, 12 Nov. 2019, www.history.com/news/peter-the-great-tortured-killed-own-son.
3. “He Who Loves Not His Country, Can Love Nothing.” QuoteTab, www.quotetab.com/quote/by-lord-byron/he-who-loves-not-his-country-can-love-nothing. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.
4. Herring, Harold. “7 Leadership Qualities To Becoming A King.” HaroldHerring.Com, haroldherring.com/blogs/harolds-blogs/richthoughts/256-7-leadership-qualities-to-becoming-a-king. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.
5. “Justice.” The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022.
6. “King | Definition, Examples, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/king-monarch. Accessed 28 Jan. 2022
7.  “Patriotism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 16 Dec. 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/patriotism.