Persuasion is the power to effect CHANGE or perhaps prevent change. And even though there is a distinction made between persuasion and compulsion, the threat of compulsion can, in and of itself, be HIGHLY persuasive. The iconic fire and brimstone sermons delivered with great theatrics by eloquent ministers comes to mind. A “fear monger” or one who “peddles fear” also comes to mind. What is Creator’s perspective of persuasion AS compulsion?

There can, indeed, be a fine line between yearning and hoping and feeling inner passion, and then, out of frustration, perhaps acting rashly to force an issue, to make something happen, and even punish the self. Everything you do has consequences, even inaction. In that sense, life will not let you alone. Sooner or later there will be a wake-up call of one sort or another, and if there has been a state of denial, you will find yourself having been left behind and might need to work twice as hard to catch up. So there is a useful place for both approaches, persuasion and coercion, because one is an extension of the other. This is reflected, in many ways, in cultural expressions and definitions of the role you have as a human being and the various strategies you can choose among in making your way. The adage often expected of a leader can be summarized in the phrase, "Speak softly but carry a big stick." This reflects the reality that at times when people refuse to pay attention or listen to reason, and there is a danger of harm looming, it may well seem justifiable to penalize someone, or a group, as a way to persuade them to change their behavior. Where the line is crossed is often clear but just as often becomes a grey area and is the most difficult when people lack power to begin with, and may not have the option available to coerce those in authority to change a ruling or judgment, leaving the self at a disadvantage and chafing under the restrictions and limitations that result. So this concept, and the delicate balance represented by the choice to persuade or coerce, happens at all levels of society. It is always a potential hazard from one's own government if there are difficult circumstances, perhaps a natural disaster, lack of resources, civil unrest, famine, widespread poverty, or even organized warfare. These things will first develop through people being out of alignment, and not using discernment and moral precepts in guiding their choices whether to persuade or coerce, and the more out of alignment things get, the more difficult it becomes to get back into balance, and the growing unfairness experienced more and more widely fuels the flames of discontent. So the very problem of governance is the challenge of keeping people in line and satisfied enough they will behave and not become a problem for the authorities. You can see in the workings of society what it takes to establish authority and a body of rules to go by. These are codified in the huge body of laws needed to define the many complexities and nuances of human interaction, all designed to avoid misunderstanding, but then causing some negative outcome. Many times fairness is in the eye of the beholder, like beauty, and even the law open to quite differing interpretations, but it is the best humans have come up with to try to maintain order with the objective being to have things running smoothly. The laws represent a cudgel that can be brought down on transgressors, but mostly serve as guardrails to keep people on a common path, staying within the boundaries of the rules and regulations, and contributing in a positive way to society rather than to be a disruptive force. Every departure from being in balance has a consequence and will be recorded within the akashic records, and people will feel quite keenly when treated unfairly, and many times there will be long-term consequences because people have limits in what they can tolerate. So here again is this sliding scale, from use of persuasion to coercion, in how one responds to unfair treatment.