Serve Hashem with Joy, not Fear

In our generation, the generation of Geula, serving Hashem has to be from happiness and awe of the greatness of Hashem, and not from fear of punishment. All the Neshamos of this generation are inspired to serve Hashem from love and a connection to the divine, and inwardly truly desire to follow Him. This needs to be nurtured with love and a recognition of Hashem's greatness and not from fear of retribution which emanates from a distrust of human nature, and assumes that a person's inner desire is to act against the will of God, hence the need to frighten him. That's not true; the inner-most desire of those of this generation is to discern the will of Hashem and raise the Schechina. Even if they may be mistaken in the path they take, this is not because they have a bad nature, but because their understanding is confused and inside they are pure and seeking Hashem. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the members of the generation of redemption with light, encouragement, love and joy in the greatness of Hashem, and not with pressure, fear and the bitterness of fear of retribution which hammer a person's soul and weaken it. They give people the impression that inwardly they are evil, and they need to have the filth beaten out of them.
Not only does fear of retribution not succeed, but it causes some to rebel and reject fear of God and the Mitzvos. The person's soul which thirsts for light will fight against the threats and reject everything. Even though rejection will not result in anything good, and it is a mistake to reject, but it results from the threats and frightening demands which are battering an inside that is truly good and not evil.
דברים תרח"צ

A True Tzaddik...

A true Tzaddik, as well as anyone who is not infused with selfishness, feels and cares about the lives of others, his neighbors and acquaintances, his community and nation, mankind in general - Jews and Gentiles - wild animals and farm animals, and everything in Creation. In his heart he desires good for every one of them, for the desire of the Tzaddikim is only good, and he prays for good for all, and he has mercy like the mercy of Hashem for every one of His creations with no exceptions. In his heart he feels everyone's pain, prays for all of them and wants the complete redemption which will bring about the rectification of everything - the Jewish nation who He loves and is close to, all of the Gentiles and their governments, and all creatures. This Tzaddik, the man of pure heart within which the Schechina rests cannot feel completely happy only on the basis of what is occurring in his own life, not even from his own spiritual accomplishments, for these joys pale in comparison with the joy of the redemption of the Schechina and the complete rectification of Israel and the entire world.
דברים תרפ"ג