Thoughts on 300

A few weeks ago, I finally ventured out and saw the movie, “300.” Overall, I liked the movie, especially the visuals. For being a 60 million dollar movie, I thought the computer generated graphics were impressive. Also the choreography of the battle scenes was spectacular. I really liked the usage of slow motion during the skirmishes. It added a nice artsy touch, making the scenes a “ballet of violence” as other movie critics pointed out. It kind of reminded me of when “The Matrix” debuted and showed us the visuals of “bullet time.”

The compelling part of “300” lies in the sacrifice of the Spartans and the other Greek soldiers. One has to wonder what drives men to willingly choose to die. The easy way out in their situation would have been to surrender or least to retreat. Withdrawal would have been a move that many would have deemed wise. However, as Doestevsky once mentioned in “Notes from the Underground”, the fascinating thing about humans is that they don’t always make the rational decision. Humans are rare creatures in that they can purposely choose to respond irrationally. If we assume that humans are almost always guided by self interest, personal gain, and the drive for survival, the Spartans last stand seems foolish. They knew they were going to die. What did they stand to gain from giving up their lives?

Looking from a military strategy perspective, the Spartans’ and their allies’ last stand was to buy time. They would delay the Persian army enough in order to provide cover for the forces whom retreated earlier from the battle. Ultimately, the battle of Thermopylae also bought time for all of Greece. Since the Persians were delayed on the order of a week, the city of Athens was allowed to evacuate. This eventually led to Greece uniting its forces and decisively beating back the Persians’ invading force.

However, when looking at the battle, the deeper ramifications should be considered. The Greek warriors stayed in order to show their resolve and their dedication to their way of life. They wanted to show the Persians how far men would go to protect their own sovereignty and culture. It was rare, because in this instance, men were sacrificing themselves for the preservation of abstract ideas rather than just pure wealth and material.

Many would say that in the face of overwhelming odds with each individual’s death staring him in the face, the natural reaction would have been to bargain with the enemy or else retreat. The natural move would have been to preserve one’s existence instead of just throwing it aside as a gift to posterity and country. However, the Greeks choose to betray their own flesh rather than their principles and ideals. It was because of these principles (determination, honor, and integrity) that they could not back down. Their ideals of democracy would have died had they submitted, because then everyone would have considered the ideals as frivolous and because the Persians' culture would have stamped them out. However, the fashion of the soldiers’ sacrifice provided true value and legitimacy to those ideals. It showed individuals were willing to give something very valuable in order for those ideals to survive.

The sacrifice at Thermopylae arguably saved Greece from being wiped from the annals of history. It also sent a ripple through time that culminated with the founding of the United States and thus the rise of the western world. This chain of events was the ultimate realization of the burgeoning ideals for which the 300 and their allies sacrificed themselves long ago.