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The Battle Of Thermopylae

• The Spartans lived by a set of principles and core beliefs that guided everything they did, and this is ultimately what allowed them to act with strength, conviction, and discipline. When you commit to a cause and belief greater than yourself, you become unstoppable, and even death itself is no longer something you fear.

• We don’t have to believe the Spartans were perfect in every way to appreciate the courage it took to live life the way they lived it. We can be inspired in our own lives and ask, what do we care about so deeply that we would be happy to die for it? Knowing the answer to that question allows you to access vast stores of grit, courage, and strength.


• Be active. Be tough. For the Spartans, physical prowess was everything, but we can follow suit by making strength – all kinds of strength – a non-negotiable part of our personal identity. If life seems scary and challenging, then train yourself to be equal to the challenge. Work hard, dedicate yourself, and choose toughness even when it would be easier to fold.


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Show notes and/or episode transcripts are available at https://bit.ly/self-growth-home


Peter Hollins is a bestselling author, human psychology researcher, and a dedicated student of the human condition. Visit https://bit.ly/peterhollins to pick up your FREE human nature cheat sheet: 7 surprising psychology studies that will change the way you think.


#Darius #FrankMiller #GeorgeHarris #Gerousia #Golding #Herodotus #HotGates #Leonidas #Salamis #SirWilliamGolding #Sparta #Spartan #Sperthias #Theban #Thermopylae #Thespian #Xerxes #ZackSnyder #TheBattleOfThermopylae #RussellNewton #NewtonMG #Old-SchoolGrit


Transcript
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If we’re considering noteworthy historical battles that could teach us something true about the human spirit of discipline and resilience, then we surely can’t leave out the Spartans and their victory at Thermopylae. The megawatt bravery and violence shown in the film seems unlikely, but just how much of it was really true?

The story (legend, at this point?) goes that just 300 Spartans battled against Persia’s infinitely larger army (estimates range from 100,000 to two million) for three long days, when they triumphed spectacularly and went down in history as ultra-warriors the likes of which the world had never seen. Today, historians can agree that there probably were just 300 Spartan men at Thermopylae (which, incidentally, is a name that translates to “Hot Gates” since the Sulphur springs there were in myth reported to be one of the gates to Hell – what a fitting place for an epic battle to unfold!).

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So, even if the details of the battle itself were slightly exaggerated, we still have a conflict where one side was greatly outnumbered by the other. There would have been almost 43 Persians per single Spartan.

Xerxes I of Persia had a formidable army, by all accounts, and was hell-bent on invading all of Greece and conquering it completely. King Leonidas in Sparta, naturally, had other ideas. The two faced off in Thermopylae, which, crucially, had a geography that heavily favored the Spartans. The area was essentially a narrow passage that meant Persia’s advantage in number was greatly reduced. Both sides were armed and ready to fight. A messenger is said to have told a Spartan general, “Our arrows will block out the sun.” The general, unfazed, simply replied, “Then we will fight in the shade.”

For two long, hard days, Leonida’s led his army to fend off the Persians, but the Persians must have realized at some point who they were up against. The Spartans took immense pride in their identities as warriors. Their military training was not just physically grueling and demanding, but they were mentally tough, too, knowing to their very bones that they would never, ever surrender or show even a splinter of weakness to the enemy. Basically, the Spartans would probably have been very flattered by their portrayal in Snyder’s film!

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Some historians claim that the selfless sacrifice of these men actually had more of an influence over Greece’s ultimate success than those who fought the Persians afterwards. Why? Because of what their profound act of bravery symbolized. Put yourself in the shoes of a Persian warrior who had to fight the Greeks after knowing that they were determined enough to lay down their lives strategically, if necessary, in order to serve their nation. Imagine encountering a man on the battlefield that you knew was that committed. The memory of what unfolded on those three days in Thermopylae cemented the reputation of the Spartans, which served to galvanize them in future battles in a way more effective than any literal armor or weaponry. It sent a powerful message: “We are fearless. We will stop at literally nothing.”

Consider also the Greek soldiers who fought in the memory of those who fell for the cause. How insignificant would their own challenges and fears have seemed, when others had paid the ultimate price? Because of what the 300 did at Thermopylae, the Spartans had a name to live up to. They could all take part in the shared knowledge that they were warriors of a different order all together, and this must have given them immense courage and grit when it really mattered.

It's important to understand that, at the time, the Spartans would have understood their violence as a freedom fight against the threatened enslavement of the Persian empire. It’s also important to understand the cultural context of the Spartans, which would have allowed them to consider the act of personal sacrifice far more easily than modern men could perhaps understand. A related story will illustrate. Before the battle, the Spartan’s sages began to report bad omens and concluded that the gods were displeased with their decision to kill Persian ambassadors sent to Sparta by Xerxe’s father Darius. To rectify the situation, two Spartans, called Sperthias and Bulis, volunteered to go to Persia and hand themselves over as sacrifices to atone.

On the way, the two men encountered a Persian general, who told them that Xerxes would likely receive them as honored guests, and that it was in their interests to find a way to cooperate with him. The Spartans were insulted. They did not want the “one world ruled by one master” that the Persians were trying to create. These two men had zero qualms about telling the general that they valued their freedom more than they did their very lives.

So, we can see that the Spartans were not merely aggressive blowhards who triumphed in battle – they were supremely principled and dignified men who flat out refused to set aside their own liberty. Each soldier understood that he was fighting for something much, much more important than his own life – he was fighting for the free spirit of Sparta itself. Frank Miller was an author who created a graphic novel about the battle of Thermopylae and describes Greece at the time as a “an island of reason and freedom in a sea of mysticism and tyranny.” When the Spartans were told to lay down their arms, they reportedly said, “Come and get them.” Perhaps we can understand why the film was so loved by American audiences, especially second amendment fans!

Nobel Prize-winning author Sir William Golding said of the battle, “It is not just that the human spirit reacts directly and beyond all argument to story of sacrifice and courage...it is because, way back at the hundredth remove, that company stood in the right line of history. A little of Leonidas lies in the fact that I can go where I like and write what I like. He contributed to setting us free.”

It is not just that the battle of Thermopylae was an impressive military victory that showed immense strength and courage. What won people’s admiration was that it was a battle for freedom. Granted, the Spartans were not, as some would like to believe, champions of the free world in general, and they were known to be ruthless with their own slaves and do deals with the Persians that threatened the freedom of their own countrymen when it suited them.

Even though the historical context is a little more complicated, though, we can still appreciate, all these hundreds of years later, the sheer immenseness of the troops’ conviction. At some point, they willingly and gladly lay down their lives for a cause they believed in more than life itself. What could be more impressive than conviction that strong?

When it comes to resilience and discipline, we can see too that the ability of the Spartans to fight when drastically outnumbered stemmed not just from their actions, but from their mindset. Because they were tapping into a powerful cause they believed in with all their heart, they found strength to fight brutally for three days. Because this cause was so much bigger than them, they were able to rise to the challenge and become, effectively, so much more than they were. Had they clung to their lives and retreated in terror and cowardice, they would have survived – but that’s all. They would have won none of the glory and grandeur that we now associate so freely with the Spartans and their victory.

This principle was at the heart of Spartan society, and it played a massive role in their reputation as fearsome warriors. They lived their lives by three main virtues: discipline, obedience, and courage. Military training started young, and physical prowess was valued all throughout the culture, for men and women.

Another thing to consider is that the battle at Thermopylae was, hands-down, a complete loss for the Greeks. The brave 300 didn’t ward off the hundreds of thousands of Persians. They all died. If the metric for success is number of men still standing, then the Spartans were utterly thrashed. But it is curious how often non-historians wrongly assume that this battle was one where “the 300 Spartans beat a million Persians.” Why do they assume that the Spartans won? Because, in the long view, they did.

Today, most people simply believe that the Spartans were especially brave and badass, but their culture was extremely complex (and far from perfect). Sparta was a militarist state and trained its boys from birth to fight. Mothers would bathe their newborns in wine to test their strength, and take them before the Gerousia to see if they were fit to live, and boys would be trained to fight from 7 years old. If not, the baby was tossed into a chasm. If a Spartan died, a gravestone would be supplied only if the man died in victorious battle or the women in childbirth or divine service.

Boys lived communally, being fed "just the right amount for them never to become sluggish through being too full, while also giving them a taste of what it is not to have enough” and being punished if they were not quick or witty enough. A man was expected to be subordinate to his unit and always responsible to his comrades in arms.

Spartan women reportedly enjoyed more status and power than was typical in the rest of the world at the time, but there were cultural practices that many would balk at today. The Spartans were early proponents of a kind of eugenics and practiced a form of wife-sharing. Since they believed that only the physically fittest Spartans should breed, some older husbands sought younger men to impregnate their wives, or if a woman had been successful and prolific in childbirth, a man might request she bear his child. Considering how many Spartans would have routinely been killed in battle, this focus on producing as many able-bodied babies makes more sense!

There is even a term to describe admiration and obsession with ancient Spartan culture: laconophilia. During its own time, Sparta was a place of fascination and awe, even though prominent figures like Aristotle believed them misguided and short-sighted. Whether you consider the Spartans an inspirational model or not, it’s hard not to be impressed by just what is possible when people are ruthlessly, 100% determined to fulfil their life’s mission and purpose. When people are fired up this way, they become unstoppable. In our modern world, there are few who could claim a belief of that strength, and perhaps this is what we admire in the Spartans: their unwavering certainty.

Resilience doesn’t come from nowhere. It is not something that we can conjure up by sheer willpower alone. Rather, it is a result of the mindset we hold and the core belief we allow to power us, as though it were an engine running at the center of our lives. Discipline is not some free-floating habit that we only have to claim. It is discipline in the service of something. If we home in on what that something is, then we are inspired and motivated to act towards it, no matter what.

Truth be told, few modern people can imagine genuinely pledging their lives to their commanders or the military integrity of their nation, but to the extent that they lack commitment and devotion to any cause, they will also lack discipline, courage, purpose, focus, and resilience.

The Spartans were not some special superhuman breed. They were just human beings. However, they were human beings who believed in something. In committing themselves to a cause greater than their own lives, they achieved greatness and legacy, and they were able to endure everything -even death – on the path to that legacy.

If you are facing a difficult time, you may be tempted to give up, to start to feel like a victim, to look around for others to blame for your problems, or to hope quietly that someone will save you. Here, you are faced with a profound choice: you can abandon your path, give up your goal, and perhaps continue on with a host of excuses for why you never achieved what you set out to do. This may feel good in the short-term, but in the longer term, it will undermine your sense of confidence and self-belief. You might convince others, for example, that something was “impossible” or not your fault, but you will know deep down whether you could have done more, and that can quietly eat away at your sense of integrity.

The other path you can take is more difficult. You’ll actively have to take the path– it can’t be taken for you. However, in many ways, this is the easier route. If you dwell on what is impossible, difficult, unpleasant or unfair, you are powerless. But if you act – even if that action is unsuccessful – you are no longer powerless. Even though the Spartans were slaughtered at Thermopylae, this was something they understood. This was what allowed them to blaze on in glory, even as they handed over their lives.

Everyday example

In:

The Spartans’ lessons:

• The Spartans lived by a set of principles and core beliefs that guided everything they did, and this is ultimately what allowed them to act with strength, conviction, and discipline. When you commit to a cause and belief greater than yourself, you become unstoppable, and even death itself is no longer something you fear.

• We don’t have to believe the Spartans were perfect in every way to appreciate the courage it took to live life the way they lived it. We can be inspired in our own lives and ask, what do we care about so deeply that we would be happy to die for it? Knowing the answer to that question allows you to access vast stores of grit, courage, and strength.

• Be active. Be tough. For the Spartans, physical prowess was everything, but we can follow suit by making strength – all kinds of strength – a non-negotiable part of our personal identity. If life seems scary and challenging, then train yourself to be equal to the challenge. Work hard, dedicate yourself, and choose toughness even when it would be easier to fold.

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Russell Newton