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Conscience of Man

Dictators and their Followers

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Nature in its constituent creation of man impressed various personality types upon us. Some people are simply nice, others not so much. And then there are men of evil, a product of social insolvency. It can be said metaphorically that its mother is also its child. In other words, what it springs from (pain, ruins) is also what will in turn spring forth (pain, ruins). And that devastation has been felt by the rest of mankind, with meager hope for a brighter future. Let these productions be assessed and prevented, that we may harmonize as one world, and care for one another as we would so if we were one body. Because we are.

While many well-known dictators brought only death and destruction with their rule, Genghis Khan’s time in power wasn’t all so oppressive. And though we can’t at all declare his hands to have been clean in his quest for control, he showed that power and redundant abuse of such didn’t necessarily have to go hand in hand. Genghis Khan was born in modern-day Mongolia, 1162. And like many who mature to leadership, his childhood wasn’t what one would describe as ideal. Born in 1162 or 1155 in modern day north Mongolia it is said that he was born with a blood clot grasped in his hand, a sign of destined leadership. Due to unforeseen circumstance Genghis and his family were abandoned by their tribe and forced to be self-sufficient. During these years of exile Khan and his family survived primarily off of wild fruits and small game hunted by he and his brothers. During one unfortunate hunting incident, Genghis killed his brother due to his harboring of goods. He was 14 years old. Fourteen years old. How times have changed. But with this incident, Genghis Khan stepped into the role of headship he was supposedly destined for. Khan’s ascent to power began with him offering himself up as an ally to his father’s “sworn brother” in an attempt to unify the surrounding tribes against foreign invasion. His following began to quickly increase thanks to his willingness to adopt soldiers and civilians of the conquered areas, rather than forcefully execute them. Political innovations such as thus inspired much loyalty among the conquered people, winning them with not only respect, but with warmth and love, as they were cared for just as family upon entering the tribe. And at age 40, Khan or (Temujin at the time) was given the name Genghis Khan, and so the massacring began. In his quest for control through severe Mongol invasions, or raids, wholesale villages were massacred and the Mongol Empire was accordingly expanded across most of Central Asia and into China. Now though I wouldn’t necessarily generalize Khan as a dictator, I certainly would not assert the same qualities with him as with Mao Zedong, or someone as such. Khan did indeed leave a trail of blood behind in his expansion of the Mongol empire, but it was not due to any sort of inherent discrimination, and being the just man he was he treated his own as one should, with love. Genghis Khan was more of an overseer than a ruler. He allowed his people religious freedom, and some historians consider he was even on the verge of granting political freedom, to women alike. Though this is not confirmed. He also placed inexplicable trust in his generals and those appointed in high levels of his military, going as far as to even let them entertain their own decisions, without objection. This wouldn’t been unheard of in say, the Nazi regime. Genghis Khan and his successors are credited with many accomplishments such as bringing Silk Road under one political environment (thus allowing for increased communication and therefore trade productivity), re-uniting China, and has acquired much praise for his religious tolerance. Many do fail to recognize such aspects and deem him only a barbaric molester of nations, the latter deriving from one’s origins. And while I