Lessons from a Warrior Culture

Ancient Sparta is a true representation of a warrior culture. Though the modern warrior does not necessarily face his or her enemy in hand-to-hand combat as the Spartans did, the code and morals of a warrior have not changed. In an excerpt from Steven Pressfield’s, The Warrior Ethos, Pressfield sites a story from ancient Sparta:

A messenger returned to Sparta from a battle. The women clustered around. To one, the messenger said, “Mother, I bring sad news: your son was killed facing the enemy.” The mother said, “He is my son.” “Your other son is alive and unhurt,” said the messenger. “He fled from the enemy.” The mother said, “He is not my son” (Pressfield 1).

The Spartans had a nationwide buy-in to winning wars and emerging victorious from battle. A mentality of this extremity is certainly uncommon in the United States today, however there are some lessons to be learned from such a story. The main takeaway that I got out of this parable is to have a greater fear of failing my country and those who I will lead in the future than failing myself. When taking the oath of office as an officer in the United States Navy or Marine Corps, we swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. This is not to be taken lightly, and as a warrior, we must uphold this oath much like the Spartans trained and fought valiantly to protect their homeland. The Spartans had an extremely intense dedication to their state that was not only visible in their warriors, but in their entire population. Such loyalty to one’s country is not as common in the modern era, and is another lesson that can be learned from the Spartan people of Ancient Greece. In Plutarch’s, Insituta Laconica, Plutarch gives an account of the relationship between youth and their elders: “Moreover, the young men were required not only to respect their own fathers and to be obedient to them, but to have regard for all the older men, to make room for them on the streets, to give up their seats to them, and to keep quiet in their presence” (Plutarch). The Spartans highly valued reverence towards their elders, showing great admiration towards the knowledge and experience that came with age in Spartan society. This piety and respect for elders is something that is often taught in modern society, but is still not as vital to American culture as it was to the Spartans. This respect for age and experience is certainly something that will help me as an officer in the United States Navy and Marine Corps, as having an understanding of the importance of experience in the military is absolutely essential. I will be advised by both superior officers and senior enlisted people who have a great deal of experience to share with me. By respecting their seniority and experience, I will learn and hopefully become a better leader armed with such information. The knowledge of ancient civilizations such as the Spartans will be essential in my development as an officer in the United States Navy or Marine Corps.

522 Words

Bibliography

Plutarch. “Insituta Laconica.” The Ancient Customs of the Spartans, University of Chicago, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Instituta_Laconica*.html.
Pressfield, Steven. The Warrior Ethos. Black Irish Entertainment, 2011.

Religions of the Book

After viewing, “Holy Quran Experiment”, a very eye opening video on a social experiment conducted in New York City, it was very apparent to me that Islamophobia is an all too common occurrence in the United States. In this experiment, a Bible is disguised as a Quran, and violent verses are read to participants and their reactions are documented in the video. When asked how the passages compared to the Bible, many people claimed that the Bible was not violent like the Quran and said that this text was an out-of-date way of thinking. After it was revealed that the passages were in fact read directly from the Bible, a majority of the participants were left utterly shocked. Though no one specifically linked what they thought was the Quran to the modern Islamic religion, it was heavily implied that many participants in this experiment attributed the violence in the Quran to violence in many Muslim cultures. Unfortunately, this belief is very common in the United States and around the world. Despite a great deal of similarities between Islam and Christianity, Islamophobia prevails, promoting a deep distrust and fear of Muslims.

Despite the presence of Islamophobia, many people do not realize that Christianity and Islam are in fact very similar. One of the most significant similarities is that both religions have a perception of Jesus Christ as an important figure, however the role of Jesus differs in each. Additionally, both Christianity and Islam have a concept of heaven and hell; in both religions, salvation is achievable by following the word of God or Allah and doing good works. Another central point of both Christianity and Islam is the idea of performing rituals (Emberson). In Christianity, the Seven Sacraments are of great importance: Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation, Reconciliation, Anointing of the sick, Marriage, and Holy orders. In Islam, comparable rituals are called the Five Pillars of Islam, which are, Shahada (Faith), Salah (Prayer), Zakāt (Charity), Sawm (Fasting), and the Hajj (pilgrimage) (Wikipedia). Each of these rituals are central to both Christians and Muslims, and certainly help to define the religion.

Although there are a great deal of similarities between Islam and Christianity, I believe that these religions are in fact necessarily mutually exclusive. Though both religions acknowledge Jesus, his role in each religion varies significantly. To Christians, Jesus is the son of God; he is completely human and completely divine. The humanness and divinity of Jesus is so central to Christian belief, that if this were not the case, Christianity would not exist as it does today. In Islam, it is believed that Jesus was only human, not divine, and was just a prophet of Allah. If Muslims did not believe this particular role of Jesus, their religion would also fundamentally change. Despite many similarities between Christianity and Islam, both “religions of the book”, these faiths are mutually exclusive.

476 Words

Karim, Jovian, director. Holy Quran Experiment. YouTube, 12 Dec. 2015, youtu.be/riDlxCvFZWw.
Emberson, Lain A. “Christianity, Islam and Judaism.” Comparison Table between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, Christianity In View, christianityinview.com/xncomparison.html.
“Five Pillars of Islam.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Sept. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Pillars_of_Islam.

The Tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise

If you are up to date on meme culture, hopefully you will have a pretty good chuckle while reading the title of this post. If not, (go look it up for your own situational awareness) it has almost nothing to do with the post itself anyway, so you are at no disadvantage for not knowing. However, a more accurate title would be something along the lines of, “The Galactic Empire in America”, but again, I had to choose the current title for sake of the meme…

Although the popular movie franchise, Star Wars, created by George Lucas takes place “in a galaxy far, far away”, the Galactic Empire, the antagonist government depicted in the films, bears a striking resemblance to the United States of America. Going back to some of the earliest pieces of Star Wars history, a true fan may recall the genocide of the Jedi Order. During their rise to power, the Empire conducted a purge, attempting to kill the entirety of the Jedi in order to take complete control of the galaxy (Order 66). Going back to the colonization of North America and the early expansion of the United States, it is hard to ignore the terrible acts that were committed against Native Americans. Millions of Native Americans were displaced and outright murdered in the development of the United States, not unlike the Empire’s destruction of the Jedi during their own rise.

In addition to sharing a dark history, the Galactic Empire shares a very similar military structure with the United States of America. First and foremost, Darth Vader is the commander of the Imperial Naval Command, the most powerful branch of the Empire’s military. Additionally, Darth Vader juggles an additional role as being second in command to Emperor Palpatine, or Darth Sidious. Similar to the President of the United States, Darth Vader essentially acts as the Commander-in-Chief of the Empire’s naval forces and has a substantial amount of political power just below that of the Emperor’s (Galactic Empire). Additionally, according to the Galactic Empire’s Wikipedia page, the Empire is known for using a tactic described as, “fear of force rather than force itself”. Though the Empire uses far more aggressive language parallels the United States’ military strategy of power projection across the globe as well as deterrence of enemy nations. Another similarity regarding the breakdown of Empirical forces is the affiliation between the Storm Trooper Corps and the Imperial Naval Command. Much like the relationship between the United States Navy and Marine Corps, the Storm Trooper Corps is the major ground element of the Imperial Navy (Galactic Empire). Despite the Star Wars franchise being a work of fiction, some aspects of the Galactic Empire resemble modern America.

Galactic Empire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactic_Empire_(Star_Wars).

“Order 66.” Wookieepedia, Fandom, starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Order_66/Legends.

Ancient Roman Christians: Cult Members or Religious Pioneers?

Christianity came about in an era when polytheism was nearly the only form of religious belief. This seemingly “taboo” faith was certainly a culture shock to the Roman Republic, and as a result, was initially rejected. In Dr. Sophie Lunn-Rockliffe’s article, Christianity and the Roman Empire, Dr. Lunn-Rockliffe states one of the greatest reasons for rejection of Christians: “…the Christian refusal to sacrifice to the Roman gods…was an insult to the gods and potentially endangered the empire which they deigned to protect. Furthermore, the Christian refusal to offer sacrifices to the emperor, a semi-divine monarch, had the whiff of both sacrilege and treason about it”. In the face of the Roman Republic, Christians appeared as arrogant, disobedient and threatening. Additionally, misconceptions regarding Christianity were abundant in the Roman Empire. The Christian sacrament of receiving Holy Communion was particularly repulsive to the Romans. When taking the Holy Communion, Christians believe that they are consuming the body and blood of Christ, or bread and wine. In the eyes of the Romans, the Christians were perceived as a despicable, uncivilized, and cannibalistic people.

There was a certainly a great stigma around Christians, but to Emperor Nero, the Roman Christian population was too great of a threat to ignore, and around 64 AD, Nero began persecuting Christians. Most sources point to a great fire in Rome as the main cause for emperor sanctioned persecutions. Sources claim that Emperor Nero started this fire in order to construct a grand palace for himself on top of the site where the city of Rome had previously stood. In order to direct attention away from himself, he targeted a group that was already despised within the empire: Roman Christians (Lunn-Rockliffe). Christian persecution in Rome was incredibly violent. In Shushma Malik’s article, Myth Busting Ancient Rome, Malik describes Christian persecution:

Christians who were Roman citizens, including the apostle Paul, were executed by beheading, which was a quick and merciful end.

Later in the second century, beheading was a privilege to which only the highest-ranking citizens were automatically entitled. The “lesser sort”, as they were known, were subject to more violent punishments. These included being crucified, burned to death, and attacked by beasts.

The Romans didn’t mess around when it came to murdering Christians, and committed atrocious acts—naturally, Christians went underground: only practicing in secret out of fear of persecution.

Was the Roman fear of this new faith legitimate? In my opinion, the Romans were scared of the unknowns associated with Christianity at the time. In combination with the rumors surrounding Christianity and the apparent disrespect that the Christians showed to the traditional Roman gods and emperors, it is certainly logical that the Roman population would reject this new faith. It is possible to draw parallels between Christian persecution in Rome and modern Islamophobia—in both cases, there is an aspect of not knowing the faith and misconstruing information about beliefs and practices of each religion. The Roman fear of Christianity was justified, though drastic measures were taken to suppress this new faith.

Lunn-Rockliffe, Dr Sophie. “History – Ancient History in Depth: Christianity and the Roman Empire.” BBC, BBC, 17 Feb. 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/christianityromanempire_article_01.shtml.
Malik, Shushma, and Caillan Davenport. “Mythbusting Ancient Rome – Throwing Christians to the Lions.” The Conversation, 19 Sept. 2018, theconversation.com/mythbusting-ancient-rome-throwing-christians-to-the-lions-67365.

Direct vs. Representative Democracy

Even in the modern age, democracy is often referred to as an “experiment”. Though this relatively young form of government has undergone a great deal of change over the years, there is not a more suitable word to describe the direct democracy that was first implemented in Athens. The concept of a democracy was revolutionary—an idea that had never before been attempted on such a large scale. Even the word democracy comes from Greek roots: demos, meaning “common people”, and kratos, meaning “strength”[1]. In the Athenian direct democracy, all male citizens had equal political rights and all were invited to participate in the Athenian assembly so they could all express their thoughts regarding the governance of Athens[2]. Some may argue that a direct democracy is the only true form of democracy—after all, it is only here that the people are in complete control of the governing body. However, this particular democratic system certainly has its flaws, and cannot match the strength of the American representative democracy.

Unlike the system in place in Athens, a representative democracy allows the people to vote on elected officials, senators and congressmen, who represent their people in the Senate and House of Representatives. Though the Athenian assembly permits anyone to speak and propose legislation, an immediate flaw in this system is that any uneducated person could make a claim or proposition that had a chance to become law. For example, during the Peloponnesian war, the Athenians, though they defeated Sparta, suffered a great loss at the Battle of Arginusae, in which 25 of their triremes were destroyed and many men were lost. After the battle, eight of their expert generals were tried in the assembly and executed. Athenians were then faced with the challenge of finding new generals with equivalent expertise… Likely a decision made out of fear, this particular event shows the weakness in allowing any person off the street to vote, one the major flaws in a direct democracy[3]. In the American representative democracy, this scenario is mostly eliminated, as only professional politicians that are decided on by a majority vote within a district have the chance to speak before their respective group. Another flaw in the Athenian democracy is that the assembly could essentially vote to ostracize whoever they wanted. This entailed having any individual forced out of Athens for up to ten years simply because a person was becoming too powerful or was disliked[4]. Giving this kind of power to the people was a dangerous move and could have resulted in serious political unrest. Though the American democracy had a humble beginning in Athens, the representative democracy is certainly a more effective governing structure than the Greek direct democracy.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy#Ancient_origins

[2] https://www.ancient.eu/Athenian_Democracy/

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arginusae

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostracism

Kim Jong-Un vs. Ancient Tyrants

Ok, maybe this title is a bit misleading. Unfortunately, this is not an article depicting perhaps the greatest fictional showdown that could ever take place within the confines of this page. However, what I can offer is an analysis of how our society views the modern tyrant in comparison to tyrants from ancient civilizations. The differences are certainly distinct—more so than many people realize. We have become very comfortable with describing the modern tyrant as how Merriam Webster defines it: “a ruler who exercises absolute power oppressively or brutally”. Contrary to our modern view of a tyrant, ancient civilizations, such as the Greeks, considered a tyrant to be “a monarch who has gained power in an unorthodox, but not necessarily wicked, way and who exercised a strong one-man rule that might be beneficent and popular” (Greek and Hellenistic Civilization). In fact, many Ancient Greek tyrants were known for their generosity. Greek tyrants have supported trade to boost the economy, colonized foreign lands to provide for growing populations, and engaged in a plethora of public works projects to ensure a higher standard of living in their cities (Greek and Hellenistic Civilization).

KJU

So what is the cause of such an incredible turnaround in the meaning of the word? Well, for starters, let’s look at North Korea—the epitome of modern tyranny. Was Kim Jong-Un elected into office? Nope. When numerous other individuals questioned his power, Kim took care of them pretty quick—this tyrant allegedly fed his uncle to dogs, had his premier of education killed for slouching and murdered his armed forces minister with an anti-aircraft gun (Stephens). That sounds like a pretty “unorthodox” way to come into power if you ask me. Kim gives tyrants a bad name—rather than caring for his people, like many ancient Greek tyrants, this modern tyrant allows his people to starve. In Bret Stephens’ article, “Kim Jong-Un and the Art of Tyranny”, Stephens writes, “Another lesson for tyrants: You do not subjugate a people by taking everything from them. You subjugate them by giving them something they know you can take away. Desperate people aren’t always obedient. Dependent people usually are”. Ancient Greek tyrants were often known for working to benefit the people—this modern tyrant has not given his people a shred of hope to hang on to, giving the word “tyrant” a whole new meaning