Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
S6.E1 - Gates of Fire - Book 1
50 Plays1 month ago
Welcome back to Season 6 AND Year 2 of the Books Brothers Podcast!
Robb leads our discussion of Book 1: “Xerxes” from Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of The Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield.
- The guys discuss the character “Tripod” who died in training during a whipping for not calling off the beating and the idea of someone belonging to a cause greater than oneself (1:06 - 10:59)
- What are necessary causes in today’s day and age to fight for? (11:00 - 23:52)
- The guys share examples of experiences turning a weakness or limitation into a strength (23:53 - 35:03)
- What does “honor” and “legacy” mean to you, and how do these words influence your actions? (35:04 - 42:47)
Next week we’ll discuss Book 2: “Alexandros” (pages 63 - 118).
You can buy the book on Amazon by clicking here.
You can also borrow it at your local library. Don’t have a library card, or unsure where your local library is? Search on Google Maps, or find your local library by clicking here.
Follow us on Instagram @booksbrotherspodcast
Email us at [email protected]
Please subscribe and give us a review! We would really appreciate it.
See you next week! Until then - read, reflect, and connect.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction: Gates of Fire and Ziones' Background
00:00:22
Speaker
you're a big reader or a small reader, or just enjoy listening in on our discussion, join in as we explore insightful topics and narratives while connecting each week
00:00:56
Speaker
We hope you join in on our journey. Please do forgive us with this one as we may butcher the names of these characters and places during our discussion. In the first book of Gates of Fire, titled Xerces, the narrative is set against the backdrop of the ancient Persian empire during the lead up to the pivotal battle of Thermopylae. The story is primarily told through the eyes of a young Spartan warrior named Ziones, who serves as the narrator.
00:01:24
Speaker
Here are several key events and themes that set the stage for the narrative. So, Zione's family tragedy. The story begins with Zione's recounting the brutal attack on his hometown by the Allied archives. This traumatic event leads to the death of his family, which deeply impacts him and motivates his desire to fight.
00:01:45
Speaker
This law shapes his identity and his journey. Survival and capture. After witnessing the destruction, Zione survives and is eventually captured by the Spartans.
Spartan Society and Training
00:01:56
Speaker
His narrative explores his feelings of guilt and survival as he grapples with the weight of his family's death and his role in the war.
00:02:04
Speaker
Introduction to Spartan culture. Through Zione's eyes, readers are introduced to Spartan society and its values, including discipline, loyalty, and the warrior ethos. The rigorous training and lifestyle of the Spartans are vividly described, emphasizing their preparation for battle. Finally, training and brotherhood. The bond between warriors is explored through Zione's interaction with other characters such as Bruxis and Diamante.
00:02:32
Speaker
Ruxi's, his parent's slave, exemplifies loyalty and strength while Diamonci, his older cousin, challenges traditional gender roles with her skills as a warrior. Their camaraderie highlights the importance of brotherhood in Spartan culture, preparing them for the upcoming conflict.
00:02:51
Speaker
So I wanted to touch base because I thought that this part of the book one was really interesting on the tripod character. I forget his actual Spartan name, but he was referred to as tripod and how his story connects to Zione's introduction to Spartan culture.
00:03:10
Speaker
This part of the book is particularly fascinating as it underscores the intense and often fatal nature of Spartan training. Tripod, a fierce 12-year-old, was engaged in the Agoke training facing brutal challenges that led to his demise.
00:03:27
Speaker
He could have chosen to withdraw. Basically, he was getting beaten on the back. And I guess he was holding a pole. And if you let go of the pole, you would basically be bowing out. But he was maybe too prideful to bow out. So he could have chosen to withdraw. But yet his death exemplifies the immense pressure to excel and the expectation to sacrifice everything for honor.
Spartan Values vs. Modern Society
00:03:51
Speaker
It also raises questions about pride as Tripod ultimately gained nothing and his life could have been spent more meaningfully in battle. So what did you guys think about that part of the chapter? I liked it. I think it gives a really good image of the culture and the warriors that the Spartans are trying to create. I also think it's really stupid that Tripod didn't let go. He essentially killed himself by being whipped too much. But one of the things that stuck with me the most in this book is from that scene. And it was after the fact, after Tripod had died, that I think it was the main character and one of the leaders of the army. I forget who it was exactly, but
00:04:41
Speaker
They were essentially saying, should he have done this or not? And one of the leaders said something like he knew that his body was not his own. His body belongs to Sparta, essentially. Like page 34, 35. Yeah. And yeah, he just knew that his, his body was for something greater than just himself. And I thought that was really cool. And my thought was,
00:05:10
Speaker
What if our culture was like that today? How would we be different? How would our lives look? How would our culture look if everyone is fighting for something better, bigger than themselves? Matt, so what you were kind of talking about, like, does Kamikaze kind of fit within that dying for something great or good? Like,
00:05:35
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think so. Kamikazes are soldiers ah obeying orders. You know, they're not just thinking of themselves. Yeah. They're giving up their lives while we, I don't know, it depends on the circumstances. Yeah, think but no, for sure. But I liked what you were saying though, because one of my questions after this was actually like, have you ever felt like you've sacrificed yourself for an unnecessary cause because the, in the story, they were basically like, man, that was kind of a waste because we could have used, like that could have been a body, whether how strong, you know, if it's a Spartan body, it's going to be a body that has discipline and all that stuff. So it's it's going to be one of great substance, but it's almost like, man,
00:06:24
Speaker
You kind of became too prideful there that now we have one less good body. I think ah the main from the page 34 and 35, you know, din Dinah Keys is talking to Alexandra and asking him a set of questions after this. And one of the last questions he asks is what was their intention? I think Alexandra has says to harden his mind against pain. I think that kind of is good.
00:06:50
Speaker
It gives me like David Goggins vibes. yeah like heart Hardening your mind against pain kind of gives you like Navy SEAL vibes in a way. So along with what Matt was saying, this portion, this death really gives a good introduction into Spartan culture. And as I'm reading it, I'm thinking that all the older warriors are going to be approving this and stamping on this stuff. But then the fact that DNI keys then like brings Alexandra aside and says like, Hey, no, this is like a waste. I think, yeah, it's like, Oh, okay. There's, you know, what's the lesson in this? And, you know, as you relate it to your question there, Rob, so have you ever felt like you've sacrificed yourself for an unnecessary cause?
Mentorship and Personal Growth
00:07:30
Speaker
I feel like the thing that we probably all are guilty of is is our work. So how often is it that we overwork ourself, overstress ourself out? And then that affects our home life, our family and family life, you know, and, you know, in in the story here, he's trying to say, like, what's our, you know, as Adam says, like, what's the intention? What's the goal? And, you know, similarly, it's like, how often do we essentially push ourselves to the brink at work that we then come home and we can't be a good father, be a good and
00:08:02
Speaker
a Husband and those kind of things and I've i've definitely been through that I've definitely dealt with stressful situations at work I've brought it home and not been able to i'm kind of compartmentalize that We almost must have enjoyed this same section because this is where I had the most things underlined c specifically the idea of Having a mentor who is not your parent or in this specific example ah father Obviously very important to have a father figure, but mentorship people who are in different generations of life than you, but aren't blood related to you can speak into your life in ways that sometimes your parents just can't. And that's extremely valuable. I've been fortunate to have mentors.
00:08:54
Speaker
and have mentors currently that I need, you know, I can call on and having someone who's 20, 30 years older, being able to speak in to my situation with years of experience. It's invaluable and it doesn't surprise me.
00:09:16
Speaker
how renowned the Spartans were in terms of their fighting and honor and warrior and how they trained them up when I read that part about having mentors outside of blood relatives like your father.
00:09:32
Speaker
Yeah, Adam, I thought what you just shared though about like work, I feel like there's hills. Is it hills that you die on or whatever? Like I feel like there's certain aspects, like not even just work itself, just small micro things at work that it's like, I feel very passionately about that we should be measuring a metric this way and not the way that we're currently doing it.
00:09:59
Speaker
stirs up so much emotion in my head which is like this is such a small part of my work but yet my life but yet like it's impacting my home life or how i come to work essentially or whatever my disposition towards other things where it's like. and I'm really dying on this unnecessary cause like in the grand scheme of things it's it's so small.
00:10:24
Speaker
And I think it just goes to like the passion. And I think a lot of these Spartans have the passion of the honor, the discipline, the wanting to like do the work. ah And sometimes it takes them overboard.
00:10:41
Speaker
And I think we get to see those narratives kind of play out here as well. But any other things to add on on that one? I thought that was a ah key part of the book that I enjoyed in the first book. And it sounds like you guys did too, which is great. So I didn't know how deep we would be able to get with this book. And I'm about to go pretty deep. So I'm answering my own question here.
00:11:07
Speaker
We're able to talk about, you know, the question is on the the negative side, the the unnecessary cause was your question. In modern day, in American society, what are necessary causes to sacrifice and to die for?
00:11:28
Speaker
and not not rhetorical. I feel probably part of the reason that there's so much depression and aimlessness and time wasted on social media like we talked about with the anxious generation has to do with purposelessness.
00:11:42
Speaker
because we don't identify things that are worth fighting for, figuratively or literally. So other than being a present father or being a good husband, what are things that are worth sacrificing for? Causes like suicide prevention or like maybe, but even that it's like you could still go too far with the good causes, you know?
00:12:07
Speaker
And is it worth dying for or sacrificing for? I don't know. It's tough. Maybe that's like the overarching category of like mental wellness though, where that there is more value in sacrificing for sure.
Spartan Legacy and Modern Culture
00:12:21
Speaker
or Yeah. I mean, yeah I think this goes back to like the comfort crisis, right? Like we have kind of everything that we need in the States for the most part. Yeah. I mean, the things that I think of are my faith.
00:12:34
Speaker
my faith and my value system that then comes from that. So with that faith system being, a you know, professing Christian, I think that justice is a part of that, treating people, people being treated fairly, serving serving those who are less fortunate. um I think of my family. I think of my wife. I think of my daughter. I think of think of friends. I feel like that's one that I so i see myself sacrificing time, energy with is, you know, friends and who are dealing with things.
00:13:04
Speaker
That's pretty much exactly what I was going to say in almost those same words. What about you, Garrett? any So macro level, what are things? And so Sparta, actually, I don't know this was Sparta. I'm confused. Is Sparta its own country? So Sparta is a part of like Greek culture. So it's a Greek country and then they're fighting against Persia, which was the overarching. And so, you know, with Persia, essentially it's and This is my understanding. So correct me if you're wrong. So my understanding is a lot of the ah political thoughts that we have are more birthed out of ah Greek and Roman culture as opposed to Persian culture. And so that's why
00:13:47
Speaker
Again, correct me if I'm wrong. That's why traditionally we like the Battle of Sparta or we like the Battle of Thermopylae, you know, the movie 300, because those are the values that got passed down to us. um Democracy, fairness, treating folks equally. Yeah, that's my understanding. And so a lot of it was was freedom. ah Freedom and freedom to live your way, to not be under an oppressive ruler who also was your God. you know Xerxes was the God of the Persians, and that's how they were to view him.
00:14:18
Speaker
Yeah. And then they like citysates like yeah to city Yeah. And I can also be wrong on this, but I think so Sparta is where the core of what's happening with this, with the Spartans. Uh, that's where they are, which is a part of lack of Damon from what I understand. So like Sparta, it's like a town within like a Damon. Hmm.
00:14:46
Speaker
But yeah, you're right, Adam. This whole battle of Thermopylae, what the Spartans did saved the entire Western civilization from anarchy essentially. Tyrants. Yeah. And preserved democracy and what we can experience today. Just crazy. It's weird to think what would happen if the Spartans were not there and didn't stop, significantly stop the Persians.
00:15:15
Speaker
What would the world look like? um I just have had a lot of, you know, the last several years. I think I reflect on that like purpose because what we've talked about previously, like you said, we come for crisis. We kind of have everything that we need. And if you don't like a job, you can just go get a different job.
00:15:36
Speaker
Whereas a lot of these folks, like they got their land, like that's what they're going to eat off of. Like you got to survive or you have this country, like you, your body is not your own. It is Spartan. And I can't identify with that. And we, because we live in an individualistic society, which there's pros to that, but I, I can't. really resonate with something where I'm like, where is there a United front across our entire country that we can rally behind? And a lot of times the latest reference was 9 11. That was the last time that there was like unity where it was like, okay, put away all your political opinions, what side you're on. We're all, we're all one America or whatever.
00:16:29
Speaker
And, but in a day in, day out basis, I have struggled with that previously. And I'm not, I'm not like I haven't arrived or anything, but during the pandemic, my wife's going into the hospital and seemingly saving people's lives. And I would get home and I'm like, Oh, I, I worked on a battery today for a window blind.
00:16:55
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. And it's like, what am I, you know, what am I doing? Or even now, it's like, I make water bottles, you know? See, it's funny, you know? Yeah. And if I. But if you. I'm just telling you how like. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I feel sometimes. Yeah, like even talking like ah Matt or Stalin.
00:17:24
Speaker
I think some of the things you've shared, it's like your wife stay at home. So, man, I feel a little bit more pressure. I feel a little bit more stress because I got to succeed at my job. And I'm like, man, if I lose my job, I could be a stay at home dad. I'll be fine. but and and on snows What I'm saying is there doesn't seem to be any mandatory causes that I need to take up and align with other people so it can feel aimless at times.
00:17:54
Speaker
And there's the faith component. Yes, which is why I'm doing okay. Otherwise I'd probably be really screwed up. I'm not exaggerating having like the Lord in my life. So I just think about that. I'm like reading this and I'm like, dude, I, I cannot resonate with like,
00:18:13
Speaker
being whipped and my body is for the United States of America, whatever its
Literary Recommendations and Discoveries
00:18:19
Speaker
cause is. I'm like, shoot, I want to live as long as possible because I want to see my kids grow up and I want to have grandkids.
00:18:25
Speaker
I'm very me focus. Does that, am I making sense? No, Garrett. So I think, I mean, I think that we have a very, we have a very comfortable society where we have a lot of, we have an excess of freedoms and this is a, this is a very good thing, but we haven't really had to worry about, and I know this is kind of hearing on the political side. It doesn't seem to me and everyone's experience is different that we have to worry about losing kind of major freedoms in our country. And, um,
00:18:55
Speaker
I think the whole concept too of just general patriotism has gone down. And honestly, the term patriotism has become more associated with one political party. And again, not to be political about things, but we're kind of in this like era. It seems like with our country where a liking and really supporting the country is not very big, not a very popular thing.
00:19:23
Speaker
So you're saying that because supporting the country, you're not actually, it feels more political than actually being like USA, like the Olympics, like we are with the Olympics. Oh, I mean, I don't know. I just think the term patriotism in particular united with the Olympics. Yeah, for sure. But like the term patriotism has become more Republican associated word. And I think that people who have American flags up on their house, again, in general, it tends to be more people who are Republicans. And like yeah not I'm not trying to be intentionally political, but basically to say that there is this view that extreme support for the country is almost politicized. And when people see that, they're like, oh, but that's supporting old values, not new values. And it's kind of this murky water. I wonder if
00:20:19
Speaker
our country would change if we had something similar happen in this book to where, let's say, essentially, all of Europe and Asia is under one emperor. And they've taken over that entire part of the world and they come to America. And they're like, hey, you guys better bow down, essentially, or we are going to take over your entire country and make you all our slaves. Are you screwed? Have you seen Gen Z? A bunch of pansies.
00:20:51
Speaker
We just read about it, Fles, it's not their fault. It's ours. I wonder if that would be more of a rallying thing like it is for Sparta, you know? I mean, isn't that how life always is? Like big chain, like, you know, whenever you have a bad situation happen, that usually causes big change. And people talk about, I went to the doctor and got diagnosed with this. And so that's why I made all these changes.
00:21:16
Speaker
I just want everyone to be able to say, this is America. um I got to say, I still do kick doors open that way sometimes. so so so Hey everyone, it's Matt. We're going to take a quick break from our discussion.
00:21:34
Speaker
We thought it would be fun to have some of us recommend other books that we have already read and likely will not discuss on this podcast. These books will be ones that are memorable and impactful to the person recommending it and we would love for others to read them too. If you do read one of our recommended books, let us know. Send us a message because we would love to talk about it with you and to know that you at least give the book a try. So for me, as most of you know, I'm big into fantasy books.
00:22:03
Speaker
My recommendation is the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. Book one of Mistborn is a masterful blend of fantasy and intrigue that really captured my imagination from the start.
00:22:18
Speaker
The story is set in a world where ash falls from the sky and mist dominates the night, which creates an atmosphere that's really haunting and captivating. The magic system, which is based on various metals and their abilities, is unique and complex and incredibly well thought out. What makes this book really intriguing is discovering the magic system and the world together with the characters.
00:22:46
Speaker
Sanderson makes you feel like you're learning everything as if you are in the story with the other characters. There's action, humor, mystery, politics, love, all the good things. Sanderson's ability to create relatable characters in a world so different from ours makes it easy to get lost in the narrative.
00:23:06
Speaker
There's a reason Sanderson is one of the best and most popular fantasy writers of our day, and the reason really comes out in this trilogy.
Personal Development and Self-Improvement
00:23:15
Speaker
So if you read and like Mistborn, there's even more to this world. There's a sequel series set in the future and a new cast of characters. Not only that, this world of Mistborn is part of a massive storyline called the Cosmere.
00:23:30
Speaker
There are many other books, novels, and a whole separate series that are all part of the Cosmere. And they're each unique but tie into this massive world that Sanderson has created. Mistborn can be read and enjoyed by itself, but if you want to go deeper with the other books, you'll have plenty of pages to keep you entertained.
00:23:52
Speaker
Alright guys, so after suffering severe injuries from a brutal punishment for stealing food, Ziones has a profound revelation while escaping from his captors. As he runs away, he encounters, I believe, an archer, maybe a god.
00:24:07
Speaker
who demonstrates the skill and precision of archery. This encounter inspires Zionis to reflect on his own limitations compared to the stronger warriors around him. He realizes that brute strength is not his path and discovers his latent talent for archery. This revelation becomes pivotal, allowing him to see that he can contribute to the Spartan cause,
00:24:30
Speaker
in a meaningful way without conforming to the traditional image of a warrior. Archery offers him a sense of purpose and helps him carve out his own identity within Spartan culture. At least we understand that to be maybe the path that it's heading in book one, but I know he gets more physical in book two.
00:24:49
Speaker
So can you guys share a personal revelation you've had about your own skills, particularly how you've turned maybe a weakness like the onus is or a limitation into a strength? So as I know, you have your thumbs will include a picture in the show notes. Really good at pushing down on things. I don't know what that's helpful for, but you know,
00:25:15
Speaker
No, actually I was going to touch on that. So I think for me, I'm pretty introverted. I like to read podcasts. Most of my hobbies are very solitary, like lifting, hiking, trail runs, reading podcasts, all that. But I'm also in sales. And so it's kind of interesting. You would think that like the good sales rep would be this like super extroverted, outgoing, like person like that. That's kind of what I think most people think of when they think of a sales rep. up But I think it's an advantage. I've turned my introverted thing. You could see that as a weakness being a sales rep.
00:25:54
Speaker
In reality, I'm just a much better at active listening than other people are. So like if someone, some extroverts having a conversation with somebody, they may interrupt the conversation and say something and like overtake the conversation. Whereas I stay back more and listen more, I can come up with like a better solution usually. And so I think I've turned yeah like my introversion into an advantage with my job. I think I'm in sales as well. and Adam, as you say, that is really interesting because before I got into sales, I thought I was going to have to become more pushy. And as I've gotten in this role, I've realized, no, there there needs to be people who are not pushy. there needs to be you know There needs to be a diversity of different types of people. And with what you say, you know yeah a lot of times the person who's allowed us in the room or jumps in in a conversation might have some success, but that's going to rub a lot of people the wrong way too. Yeah, for sure.
00:26:54
Speaker
I can't think of anything personally, to be honest. Do you have no weaknesses? No weaknesses. At least none that I turned into is strength. Oh yeah. They're all still weak.
00:27:08
Speaker
I can share again, you guys have probably heard this story from me either before before this or as we've talked through stuff over the last couple of years. When I was a sophomore in high school, I broke a bone in my back. And at this point, I was very involved in soccer and club soccer, played soccer almost the whole year round.
00:27:26
Speaker
and pretty competitive team and such. And so I had this broken bone on my back that I had to wear like a corset thing for like 12 weeks. Adam, do you remember this? Oh yeah, I remember this. Did you get shingles? You got shingles? Yeah, I got shingles and it was just a really, I was super depressed. It was really kind of ah a bummer of time in life, but there's also a lot of growth that came from it. And I remember it's a really kind of a cool story too of what my parents did and especially my dad. So at this point I was,
00:27:55
Speaker
You know, sports were kind of my main way. I defined myself and identified myself. But I also was a play guitar at this point already. I had been playing the guitar since I was in like fourth grade. I remember this is a period where I started playing a lot more of the guitar. And I remember my dad bought a ah recording.
00:28:11
Speaker
board like a recording software and like a a mixer so I could start like recording and you know i'm doing that kind of thing with music. And you know it was something that here I had this time where I really couldn't do something that gave me a lot of identity and feelings of worth.
00:28:30
Speaker
but had this other opportunity to let this other part of me flourish and ultimately become a more well-rounded person. And I think especially, you know, as a sweat, you're 15, 16 when you're in, when you're a sophomore in high school. And I think that was probably pretty formative for me and helping me see that, you know, my identity is not in one thing and um really see that I could learn new skills and become good at something.
00:28:58
Speaker
and And then Sacklunch. Sacklunch, yeah. One of the best pop punk bands of the era. Do they know about Sacklunch? Do these guys know about Sacklunch? I don't know if they do. Oh, man. Do you have any even songs that you can play for us sometime? Yeah. Off the call, though. OK, shoot. I was in a band basically from when I was a freshman through like a high school through freshman college.
00:29:26
Speaker
And it was called Sac Lunch. We were called Sac Lunch. Wow. So many other better names.
00:29:35
Speaker
Garrett, did you have anything on this one? I think for me, my brand, if you will, historically has been I want to be average or I want to know a little about a lot of things or I want to be decent at a lot of things, but I've never historically focused on one or two singular things to be excellent at it.
00:29:58
Speaker
And the job I'm currently in has, to summarize, really honed in and forced me, like my my job, is to become an expert in one thing. That was an adjustment for me. And a year in, I've really started to see a lot of the value in that.
00:30:20
Speaker
and seeing the positive aspects about, hey, I may not know everything, but I can know one or two things really, really well and hone those skills and make those strengths to the best of my ability and set myself apart, whether it's career-wise, whatever.
00:30:40
Speaker
I also think, I don't know why, but one of the first things I thought of was Rudy, the movie Rudy, where, you know, the character in this book is like, shoot, now I can't hold a sword. But yet he's like, man, I can do something else. I can learn a different skill and do archery. And have you all have ever heard of strengths of finders?
00:30:59
Speaker
Oh, yeah, man. I got mine right here. There you go. And you learn your strength. Yeah. So I always remember the intro to that book. The guy calls out Rudy Rudy and basically ridicules him like the the thought not not him personally, but the thought of the story where basically he spent his whole life trying to play for Notre Dame and he played two plays. He did all He did all that work. No, seriously, he's like playing football was not this guy's strength, but we celebrate a story like that and make a movie about it because against all odds, he played two plays. And and just this idea of like honing in on what you're good at and do those with excellence. And it's OK to cast aside the things you may not be more naturally gifted at.
00:31:55
Speaker
So I don't have an exact example, but I think of Rudy and how I'm like, let's not focus on the things I'm bad at now. like I'm not talking about character things like being kinder or gentler. Those are things being less angry, less competitive when it comes to parenting or sports, things that don't ultimately matter. But really, like, what are my strengths and let's hone in on those rather than like, oh, I'm not really good at Like I've never been super strong at marketing. It's like, it's okay. We have a marketing department. I don't need to be a marketing genius. I can focus on what I'm good at in my role at my job and work with the marketing team who is good at that. That's what I think. Well, I mean, to that point, though, it's like,
00:32:50
Speaker
I don't know if you might laugh, but it's like, what's, what's way, one way to work on your patience for me lately. It's fishing straight up. I've been preparing, getting my rods and reels all straight. I go out there all excited. And what do I do? I throw it out there and it gets all tangled up and it's like, Oh, shit I spent 30 minutes getting this thing, you know, and I'm about eight hours in and I still haven't pulled a fish up, you know, so it's like, that's one way that I'm going to work on my patients is I'm going to continue to put myself in these positions that are going to test my patients, my anger, whatever. And the less patient that I get, the more angry I get, ah the less likely I'm going to pull in a fish.
00:33:37
Speaker
And again, that's why I made that caveat. I'm not talking about character things. No, I know. Like life, per like in the, uh, how do you say his name? How do you say it's like, yeah, he, he should not, fight he literally, I mean, more or less got crucified. That was brutal. yeah Like they drove literal nails through his hands. Absolutely unbelievable. It's like, yeah, your strength is not going to be gripping a sword fighting.
00:34:05
Speaker
And so instead of spending all your life trying to grip a sword, focus on archery, right? Like Rudy, like just go, go work in the, the coal mines with your dad or whatever. Maybe If that's how Rudy would have ended though, it would have been not that interesting of a movie Garrett. That's the point it wouldn' have been movie because who cares about a guy who focuses on his
Healing, Honor, and Legacy
00:34:41
Speaker
strengths. This guy, he defied all odds. And then he went on to play the second most popular Hobbit. Yeah.
00:34:55
Speaker
um Everyone knows Sam was more popular than Frodo, though. Come on.
00:35:03
Speaker
All right, so I think there's a lot of components of like legacy, honor um within, you know, the Sparta culture, but lately I have been reflecting on the significance of honor and legacy in my own life and how they influence my actions. And in the first book, we see how these core ideals impact characters like zeones and tripod.
00:35:30
Speaker
So what do honor and legacy mean to you? How do they influence your actions? And I can start if you want because I do have an answer prepared. Garrett, I know I kind of shared with you. I'm kind of on this trying to get deeper into healing journey and what that means in my life. So my wife got me a book, Be Healed. um And it basically just walks you through about trying to get to the root of why you might be Living the way that you are based on like certain criteria right so like are they lies that you've been fed it's a house how have you been raised blah blah blah right.
00:36:10
Speaker
through reading that book, it has been a good revelation for me to look at what are areas of my life that I need healed? How do I look at that? And what does that look like moving forward, right? So if if you take how you were raised or have you guys seen those videos of the glasses where it's like it has a pink liquid here and it's like, these are your grandparents. And then it has another glass where like, these are your parents. And then it's like, here's you. And then here's your offspring. So it's like,
00:36:40
Speaker
you pour your grandparents pour the trauma to their parents and it stays the same color and then there your parents pour it to you and like. You get their color and it's like not changing so it's like are you gonna only pass that on to the next generation are you gonna fill that with water and essentially try and give them not your traumas that were given you passed on right so i've been thinking about that. Is part of like my healing journey right so it's like.
00:37:09
Speaker
what are things that my parents did really well and what are some things that they didn't do really well that I it's somewhat inherited right through them through the parenting styles or whatever and so like what does that look like in terms of rectifying healing within my own heart and life and how that has made me as a person and then how do I work to kind of rewrite the script so that I can make sure like, oh man, those are definitely not the things that I want to pass on to my generation, right? And in order to do that, I have to be one like aware of that.
00:37:45
Speaker
And two, you know, seek healing to try and not pass that on to the next generation. And so I've been doing a lot of that work internally of just one recognizing it and then trying to like consciously focus and yeah, work through those things. And I guess the honor and the legacy component pre having children make me especially want to do that work now.
00:38:10
Speaker
so that I can be ready for when I do have children that I'm not figuring it all out through wounding them in the process. I know I'm going to wound them in the process because I'm human and I'm not going to have it all figured out, but if I can do that less, that would be good. That's really good, Rob. What's prompted you to kind of start that route if you don't mind sharing?
00:38:33
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, basically I got Mary and got me the book and she'd done wonders for her in her life. And it's been sitting on the shelf and we've been burning through books. And that's where, you know, we started in this next chapter in our life, just with the home and hopefully preparing for kids soon. And, and um,
00:38:54
Speaker
It just was a call to really, hey, let's let's read something that that I can you know really have a personal journey and walk through and be able to share and grow with her in the in those areas as well. And it's been really good so far. it's We had um some really good conversations about the book and my take on it over the weekend, which was really healing for both of us just to know that we both seek out this type of work and we're not suppressing things that we can't call a spade a spade and say like oh yeah i got this from this experience or oh this relationship contributed to that or whatever you know like be aware of why we are the way we are in.
00:39:41
Speaker
try and work through that to change the script. it's good great There was a quote that I really liked that kind of reminded me of this. It was on page 36. It said, the helmet and the breastplate are for his own sake, but his shield is for the safety of the whole line.
00:40:02
Speaker
So that made me think of the legacy component where it's like you can focus, be prideful and focus on yourself, which is like the helmet and the breastplate, but doing the work for others through doing your personal work is like, like what I was saying is how do I build my shield?
00:40:22
Speaker
through the healing process or whatever, so that I can protect the frontline, that I can protect the brothers, the people that I love behind me, you know? Because if we never do that work, if we never bolster ourselves, people are gonna come after us, right? Like if we never attack the demons of whatever, we're gonna be susceptible until we address those things. Do you remember the name of the shield? Hell no. I think it started with an A. Hoplon. Hoplon.
00:40:52
Speaker
This the round three foot shield that weighs like 60 pounds. Yeah. Just don't leave it, uh, laying up or down, man. Got a P in it. Yeah. Um, yeah, I think honor is extremely important for me, Rob. I strive to be a good person with integrity. Someone who does things well in all areas of my life. And I think that stems from the way I was brought up.
00:41:22
Speaker
our culture, my family and family values. And in faith, I think it's important to have good honor, just trying to do whatever I'm doing to the best of my ability. And then from that, I think hopefully my legacy will be that I pass that along to my kids so that they are good people as well with integrity, truthful, full of mercy and grace and doing the right thing, showing love to everyone, all those things. I i think I want that to be my legacy. Love it. I will say something. So I think for me, honor means keeping your promises, doing what you say you're going to do, and then just being honest, telling the truth. I think those two things are what I think of when I think of honor, being an honorable man. I think legacy, obviously, I don't have kids or
00:42:19
Speaker
It's not really in the future right now, but for me, legacy is like, what's going to be on my tombstone? Is it going to be worked hard at his job or is it going to be was like a good man, good friend, you know, good uncle, good Godfather. People thought that he was an honorable man. That's what the legacy I want. So yeah, they kind of go hand in hand, but those are my thoughts.