I just saw the new movie "300." It was absolutely incredible. Somehow I feel like there really was a larger takeaway message there. Maybe it was that we should fight and be willing to die for where we stand. Leonides stood for the freedom of his people. Maybe the message is that everyday should be treated as training for that moment in your life when you will have the choice to stand for what is right against all odds and despite total costs. In that moment, we might die, or we might buckle and give way to evil, living "a long life." (this was verbalized as the hope from Leonides to the traitor at their last meeting, moments before Leonides died) Maybe the Spartans had it right when they lived life in search of a "good death," not shrinking in fear from the worthy adversary, but hoping and excitedly looking for that moment and enemy that would put them to the test, a test that they prepared their whole life to pass. The test of giving your life for another, standing in unison on the side of good.
Maybe living life in preperation for this is really the only way to LIVE LIFE. Otherwise, arent we all just waiting to die?
1 comment:
I saw the movie this weekend, too.
It was pretty good. I think its unfortunate they left out the larger story of all of Greece uniting for the persian invasion, and that the Athens navy was fighting the persians at the same time, but it was more a story of Leonidas standing up for his people, I guess.
I think its especially interesting to note that had Leonidas not stood his ground, what would have happened to democracy? Where in the rest of the world would the idea of democracy have gotten a chance to survive had the greeks been over run by the persians forever? They did burn athens to the ground in the invasion, but eventually repelled Xerxes and the idea of democracy was passed on to Rome.
I highly recommend the movie, as is obvious Dalen does.
Post a Comment