I’m grateful for the opportunity to blog as a CUNY Peer Leader. I’ve considered blogging before but never tried it. I figured posting would be easy because I can be talkative. That hasn’t been the case, though, which reminds me that ideas can seem simple in our heads but difficult in practice. I’m glad the reminder came with blogging and not bull-riding.
This month’s blog prompt is about music. It’s not something I’m interested in writing about. I want to write about the Battle of Thermopylae. The battle occurred on a mountain pass in 480 BCE between the Greeks and the Persians. The Persians attempted to take over Greece. The Greeks, particularly the Spartans, resisted with an army of about 7,000 men—the Persians had an estimated 70,000 to 300,000 (Lohnes & Sommerville, 2023).
Despite that numerical disadvantage, the Greek army resisted the invasion for a few days. They were forced to retreat—it was that or die fighting—after a Greek citizen informed the Persians of a hidden passageway. Leonidas, who led the Greeks, and three hundred other Spartans, chose to stay. It is thought that Leonidas and the Spartans refused to leave because quitting contravened Spartan tradition.
The Spartans’ relentless courage is probably the most significant takeaway from this battle. Their tradition of not giving up is worth dying for, in my opinion, especially if it is for an honorable cause, like defending one’s territory. The tradition shouldn’t just apply to war, though. Regardless of unfavorable circumstances, people should consider a situation carefully before giving up. And that doesn’t necessarily mean being rational. Sometimes, it’s better not to be reasonable; sometimes, we should be willing to die for our principles.
That last sentence may be too intense for some people. But I think many parents would agree that they would be willing to die for their kids. And some people, especially those who are not parents, probably don’t find that reasonable; kids with dead parents might not have anyone to look after them, making them likely to die, too. But because kids with dead parents might not be as likely to survive or prosper as those with live parents doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t risk their lives in an attempt to save their children. Because no one knows for sure that they won’t live despite the circumstances. All we know is a probability.
I’m not a parent. I’m not sure why I used parenting and the possible death of children to make my point—that the future may not look so bright or the probability of a good outcome may not be as high as we wish, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try or that we should give up. Like the Spartans, often, we must persist courageously, even if the results don’t look promising.
Works Cited:
Lohnes, K., & Sommerville, D. (2023). Battle of Thermopylae. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Thermopylae-Greek-history-480-BC
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