‘300’ — a Hollywood movie with a worthy lesson

Amidst the rubbish rolling off the Hollywood production line there is the occasional gem, a surprisingly high quality film or perhaps an important movie that can teach us prized lessons of our humanity if we pay attention. There is such an important movie now playing, titled “300.”

“300” is a surrealistic film, bringing to life Frank Miller’s arguably exaggerated cartoon novel set in 480 BC Greece about the battle of Thermopylae (Ther-mop-a-lee). Critics are calling the movie a sandals-and-swords extravaganza while teenagers will tell each other it is a way cool flick about fighting with spears, swords and shields, lots of blood and guts and even some naked skin. Both miss the point completely.

Ancient Greece was a confederation of city-states like Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes and Delphi. Sparta was dedicated to the production of the very finest warriors. Spartan boys belonged to the state, and entered their training at 7 years old.

The brutal regimen turned them into tough warriors by age 20, at which time a soldier’s mother would present him with his shield, saying, “With it or on it,” meaning he should come home from battle victorious, carrying his own shield, or dead, carried on his shield. Such was Spartan dedication to victory.

Spartans were masters of phalanx warfare, organizing soldiers in tight formations as a unit with interlocking shields, using lances and short swords to pierce the enemy and advance one step at a time.

All this might seem completely irrelevant to our more tender life in America, but bear with me.

Nearly 500 years before the birth of Jesus, King Xerxes of Persia had conquered the known world, except Greece. Xerxes gathered the largest fighting force the world had ever seen, said to be 2.5 million men, and set out to take Greece by force.

When the Persian threat was recognized and approaching, the Greek Council members dithered and argued, some honorably, some for their own self-interest just like in America today. Spartan King Leonidas urged the Council to deploy all Greek forces, but they chose to talk and argue, hoping in vain for peace.

Leonidas knew there was no time to waste. He considered the path the approaching Persian force must take in their invasion, and he selected the site of Thermopylae, the “hot gates,” site of hot springs used for therapeutic bathing, where the road between the cliffs and the Aegean Sea was wide enough for just one chariot. There, in that narrow space, he had a chance to slow the advance of the massive Persian force.

Leonidas chose 300 Spartan soldiers to join him on this suicide mission, selecting from those who had sons to carry on their family name, from those who had proven their fighting ability, from those with strong wives who would bear their death with dignity, for his purpose was not only to delay the enemy, but to inspire all of Greece to action by the sacrifice of the 300 at Thermopylae.

Other Greek volunteers joined the 300 Spartans on the march to this fight that could not possibly be won. When the Greeks and the Persians met at the scene of the battle, a Persian envoy asked for a peaceful surrender, warning their archers were so numerous their arrows would block out the sun. The Spartan response was, “Then we shall fight in the shade.”

The 300 Spartans and other volunteers held the narrow pass against an overwhelming enemy in a fierce battle for two days, churning the ground into knee-deep mud as each side furiously pushed and hacked at the other, soaking the dirt with sweat, blood, bodily fluids and gore. Soon they were standing on one layer of bodies, then another.

Perhaps this is too grisly to contemplate, but there is a reason we should.

On the eve of the third and last day of the battle, Leonidas sent the surviving non-Spartan Greek volunteers home to tell their story. The remains of the 300 Spartans would stand and die.

Leonidas and his Spartans did die on the third day, but the three days they held the enemy at Thermopylae was precious time, making possible the evacuation of Athens and the removal to safety irreplaceable documents of history and culture.

Xerxes conquered Athens, burned the city and sought to exterminate the Greek way of life, but the Greeks rallied, inspired by the valiant example of Leonidas and his men and defeated Xerxes, sending his forces retreating to Persia. The Greeks returned to Athens and other cities to rebuild.

The seeds of democracy, the very roots of western civilization that were nearly lost, were instead preserved for you and me.

There is still much to learn from Leonidas and his Spartans. The movie “300” is just one artistic interpretation of the event, and a fine one, but the movie might inspire the next level of your interest — reading the novel “Gates of Fire” by Steven Pressfield, the story of this historic battle.

The reader’s mind will wander past initial fascination with brutal training of Spartan boys, weapons and killing, past the hardships of the age and by the end marvel at the value placed so long ago on logic, reason and freedom, reflect with wonder on fine examples of strength, honor, courage, commitment, loyalty, sacrifice, duty, love of country, devotion to family, wisdom and even gentleness and grace.

Some say the triumph over the Persians filled all Greeks with confidence in their gods, pride and fierce determination to preserve their way of life, and lit the fire of inspiration to explore philosophy, architecture, sculpture, literature, music and other gifts of humanity the Greeks gave the world.

Those with Greek heritage will surely glow with pride at this story while the rest of us should give a mental nod to real-life men and women who well earned our admiration.

So rush to your local theater, enjoy the spectacle of “300” on the big screen with some popcorn, but feed your mind and your heart by following up with Pressfield’s “Gates of Fire,” stealing mental images from the movie to enhance the story as you read, a story that embodies both the worst and the best of the human experience, a story that might make you wonder if we are living up to the legacy we westerners were given.

Don’t miss Chapter 35 about what it means to be a king; pitifully few of our leaders today meet that ancient measure of leadership set by the example of Leonidas.

In some ways, not much has changed since Leonidas had to act because the politicians would not. Today just as at Thermopylae, a tiny slice of our population bears the burden of battle when threats gather against our country.

Today, just as long ago, too many who represent us are self-important gasbags who take no personal risk and let no opportunity pass to promote themselves, not minding at all that their public blather encourages our enemies because it is so easy to smile and declare for the cameras, “I support our troops!”

In 480 BC the politicians who failed to stand behind their warriors when they stepped onto the field of battle were not fit to tie a warrior’s sandals. The only thing that has changed is that today those politicians are not fit to shine a single American warrior’s boots, and we should never forget it.

[Terry L. Garlock of Peachtree City, Ga., is a certified financial planner. Email him at tgarlock@mindspring.com.]