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S6.E3 - Gates of Fire - Book 3
32 Plays23 days ago
Adam (Stehlin) leads our discussion of Book 3: “Rooster” from Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of The Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield.
- The guys discuss the contrast between Rooster’s and Xeones’ drastically different dispositions towards Sparta in light of their different upbringings (0:38 - 8:39)
- Thoughts on Polynikes’ berating of Alexandros and his view on the purpose and value of war? Are there any applications to this today? (8:40 - 23:03)
- Thoughts on Dienekes’ leadership style in Spartan culture - is he an exception or does he embody Spartan culture? (23:04 - 29:52)
- The guys discuss the quote: “Habit will be your champion” (29:53 - 34:35)
Next week we’ll discuss Book 4: “Arete” (pages 161 - 186).
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See you next week! Until then - read, reflect, and connect.
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Transcript
The Fate of King Leonidas
00:00:05
Speaker
Welcome back to the Books Brothers podcast. The book club turned podcasts where friends spread across the country
00:00:39
Speaker
book opens, we return to the post-battle of the Thermopylae interview with the Ziones and the Persians.
Character Introduction: Rooster
00:00:44
Speaker
Here, Ziones learns that after King Leonidas was killed, he was beheaded and subsequently crucified by the Persians. This clearly angers Ziones, but also Xerxes, as we learn that he too had great respect for Leonidas.
00:00:57
Speaker
Then the interview resumes, where Zionez returns to six years before the Battle of Thermopylae. This section introduces the character Decton, known as Rooster. We learn that he is half-Spartan and the illegitimate son of Dionique's deceased brother-in-law, who is a great warrior of Sparta.
00:01:14
Speaker
Since he was only half Spartan, Rooster was viewed similarly as Ziones, lesser than the other Spartan boys and as a servant. Although he is offered to come into the Spartan community several times throughout the course of his life, secondary to his abilities as well as lineage, but Rooster hates the Spartans and their gods and is very open about that.
Loyalty vs. Disdain: Ziones and Rooster
00:01:32
Speaker
He declines the offer every time. At the end of the section, Dioniki's wife, Eridi, warns the Ziones that if Rooster is not careful in the way that he speaks of Sparta, then the Spartan secret society may make him disappear.
00:01:43
Speaker
So I think that in this section the contrast between Zione's and Rooster was quite interesting. Zione's having no actual family ties to Sparta shows extreme loyalty to the people in the land, even though he is essentially a slave. In contrast, Rooster, the son of a Spartan hero, chooses to be a slave instead of being accepted as a true Spartan, and in turn despises Sparta.
Immigrant Patriotism and Spartan Loyalty
00:02:05
Speaker
What do you all think of this contrast?
00:02:08
Speaker
I think it's similar to probably how we think of citizenship in any country, especially a country like ours where there's a lot of immigrants. And we talked you know at the beginning of this podcast season about patriotism and whatnot, but you can meet people who have a ton of love and loyalty and respect and patriotism for a country and they're not born there.
Rooster's Identity Struggles
00:02:32
Speaker
They may not even be half blood. They immigrated and because of what the country's provided them or how they view the leader or the culture, they can be quite loyal. Whereas someone like Rooster, I mean, I'm thinking of like what modern day equivalents are in it. Okay. So the messians, I believe as he's half Messian, his mom was full and their helots. So I had to look that up there. They're like in between a slave and the working class. So they're like not like full on slaves, but they're not fully free is how I understand it.
00:03:08
Speaker
so It's probably like the equivalent modern day of like someone who might be half black or half Native American or something where they care about the background and lineage and history of half of their family line and really care about civil rights or care about the treatment of of their people hundreds of years in the past and how that rolls up into the present. so I can understand why someone might immigrate here and love the United States.
Choosing Sparta: Ziones's Journey
00:03:41
Speaker
This example is the onus coming to Lake Damon. That's what the Spartans and then rooster, you know, being half Spartan, but not enjoying the fact that.
00:03:51
Speaker
half of his, you know, the people who represent half of his bloodline or half of his lineage or whatever are helots or slay or the, the helot class and Sparta and thus, you know, dislikes where he lives. So that's probably like how I view this, uh, equivalent kind of modern day scenarios.
00:04:12
Speaker
I viewed it as kind of a privilege thing where Zione's, he chose to go to Sparta because he had nowhere else to go. He didn't have any family. His hometown is burned. He wanted to become a warrior and so he knew of Sparta and chose to go there himself. Whereas Rooster, like Gary was saying, he was born there and he had the privilege of growing up in that society already.
00:04:39
Speaker
but Rooster didn't have full rights as a citizen, and so he was treated poorly. You know, it wasn't his choice to go to Sparta. It wasn't his choice to participate, to become a slave. He was born into it. So, i yeah, it's almost like a privileged thing.
00:05:00
Speaker
I think for Zione's, based on what he wanted to do and the choices that he had, Sparta was the best place to
Ziones's Motivation and Vision
00:05:08
Speaker
end up. And so he's going to give it everything he has. And all these people have become his family, essentially. When you say that, Matt, what's your thought or how do you see, like, what's the reason that you see Zione's coming to Sparta? What do you think he chose that? I feel like I kind of understand that, but I was curious to hear how you and interpret it.
00:05:31
Speaker
Yeah, from the earlier chapters in the book, he and his cousin Dayamaki were on their own in the wild. And then Zioni's had that vision of Apollo, who is the Archer God. And that gave him the faith and motivation to want to learn how to use a bow. And growing up in the wild, learning how to use a bow.
00:05:54
Speaker
becoming really good at doing it. I think that spurred him to want to continue on that path. And then when his cousin, Diamache left, he didn't want to stay in Athens because it's not a warrior society. Zione's wanted to become a warrior. So it sounds like he knew of Spartan culture and the way that they treated slaves. So if he could get there, he would maybe have a chance to become a warrior and use the bow nowhere else to go for his motivations.
00:06:23
Speaker
I think too, it seemed like he was always kind of like motivated by a very certain type of manhood. It seemed like an essentially like power, you know, go back to whenever his town was burned and he was like so mad at his uncle for like not help like for running away while his family was getting killed. And it seems like he has this sense of like how a man should be. And that, that to me, like what seemed to play a role as well of his movement there. Yeah, I did like that.
00:06:51
Speaker
At the beginning of this chapter, we see a little bit of punishment from when Alexandros and Zionis went to go see that battle from the previous book. And now, Zionis is working it basically working for Rooster.
00:07:08
Speaker
taking care of the herds, and Rooster hates Zione's.
Rooster's Rejection of Spartan Values
00:07:13
Speaker
Even though they're both slaves, Rooster is mad at Zione's because he doesn't feel the same way that he does about the Spartans. I don't know, I just think Rooster's a misfit. He doesn't really appreciate any kind of real like honorable values, stuff like that. I just see him as like this just character.
00:07:32
Speaker
like kind of just wants to do his own thing. Zione's more values honor and all the Spartan, you know, ideals and stuff. so When you're reading a book that's a narrative like this, it's always easy to put yourself in the one telling the story, Zionis. But you do have to look at what, you know, Roost tried been through. And as Garrett was kind of alluding to, with basically his like half lineage that, yeah, you could you could see how that could definitely foster some resentment and
00:08:04
Speaker
You know, there's definitely examples that we think of often in America where people are, you know, they're not choosing to leave, but they're obviously really unhappy about the way that things are. And, you know, every election cycle, this comes around. Every election, it's like, oh, if so-and-so wins, I move into Canada.
The Necessity of War
00:08:21
Speaker
And, yeah, I think, I think backed with Matt saying it's like, it feels like people say that kind of stuff. It's like coming from a place of privilege.
00:08:30
Speaker
because not everyone where they live, they like choose to leave, you know? and And that's kind of a deeper thought with that. So in book three, we again see Alexandros in conflict with the same Spartan, Palanikis, as before. Palanikis is essentially an up-and-coming Spartan hero. He has awarded prizes of valor and is known for his strength and speed. He questions Alexandros and what he thought of viewing war in person for the first time. Alexandros notes that the battle made him sick and as a result has not been able to sleep since. This response enrages Palanikis and he thus seeks to make an example of him.
00:09:06
Speaker
Palanikis views war as a necessity to remain free and stay alive. He describes in detail the joy he gets from killing the enemy and knowing that it means his freedom. Palanikis is angry because he knows that he needs to rely upon his fellow Spartans in battle, and he views Alexandros as unworthy of Satan next to him in battle. He ends his chastisement of Alexandros with the quote,
00:09:28
Speaker
War, not peace, produces virtue. War, not peace, purges vice. War, in preparation for war, call forth all that is noble and honorable in a man. It unites him with his brothers and binds them in selfless love, eradicating in the crucible of necessity all which is base and ignoble. So what was your guys' thoughts on this exchange? I think that quote you had just read, Staelan, is just a really brief part of the whole exchange and it brings out the best of it.
00:09:58
Speaker
and the reason why, which is really cool. My first thought is going back to thinking about World War II and how wartime brought the country together and brought jobs, people fighting
Spartan Toughness vs. Modern Sensibilities
00:10:11
Speaker
for the country, fighting as one unit to win the war. But you might be getting into this later. Paul Nikes is basically berating Alexandros for not loving war like he does. And it's like mental punishment.
00:10:29
Speaker
And it's pretty he's pretty vicious. He goes really, really far. So there's a purpose behind it, this mental duration. It's supposed to harden your mind and get you used to dealing with things mentally to prepare you for war. You have to be able to take the bad things, what people say about you, and turn it into something good. And now, Alexandros is just kind of sitting there agreeing with Paul Nikes, not really saying anything. But as we learned from this chapter, the expectation is that you are supposed to have humor about it.
00:11:08
Speaker
And Alexandros is not showing that. They're supposed to just be making jokes and going along with the the mental punishment, I guess. But Alexandros is just sitting there, taking it and not doing anything. So I think that makes Paul and Iky's even more upset. And so he goes further and further. And then eventually Dionychis is like, OK, you've gone too far with this mental duration.
00:11:37
Speaker
I think it was in this part where they mentioned that making this a habit is what makes you strong. Is that right? Yeah, he says that later on. Yeah. So what he says is habit will be your champion. Yeah, that was really cool with this type of barrage. I don't think that would fly today. I think if someone were to act like that towards anyone in America, they would just be canceled.
00:12:05
Speaker
especially if it's in front of a group. What do you guys think about that? I thought about this in terms more about like, I guess the theology of war or like non-violence movement. Not a movement, but just because I've just listened to some Christian theologians and professors that believe that, again, these guys the Spartans aren't Christians, but it's from ah a Christian perspective, there should be a you know, nonviolence and things like that. So I read, you know, on that same page, Paul and I, he's as mankind is weak, greedy, lustful, pray to every species of vice and depravity. But fortunately God in his mercy has provided a counter poised to our species innate depravity. That gift, my young friend is war.
00:12:51
Speaker
So just a very fascinating response to like, all right, all these issues in mankind, the fix here is just to like kill people about it. And I'm agreeing with you, Matt, of like in today's day and age, it's doesn't really like feel that way ah in terms of that. That just seems like someone who would be beyond canceled at least in our society present day. And I just think about how the the wars are so constantly monitored and the press And it's like, these bombs went off here and these many civilians were injured. This many women and children were killed. And obviously it's all horrific, but it's observed to the T. And then I read this book and, you know, going back to the first Diamante or whatever, she's like raped by all those soldiers who ransacked her town. And then one of the guys, I say this in quotes, is kind enough
00:13:48
Speaker
to tell Chiones, he's like, hey, don't take her to another town. This is going to happen to her again. It's like it's just like how it is. And I don't know. it It's just like it was.
00:14:00
Speaker
and life has not changed Like, people are still like that, the depravity, but I think there are more systems in place. Overall, i would I'd like to believe in most countries to avoid that level of depravity and that level of inability to have any sort of order. I don't know if I'm making sense other than like, because there's more order, more structure, more systems in place to protect people, I think.
00:14:26
Speaker
war you know hopefully is not needed as often, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm sure that
Criticism in Spartan and Modern Society
00:14:33
Speaker
back in the day, many more people took the perspective that war is like an inevitable part of life and something that you can take pride in just because they weren't as privileged as a modern Western human being to where they don't actually have to see it with their own eyes.
00:14:53
Speaker
And i couldn't I can't really tell if like our belief in you know peace being the only way or peace and love being like the ultimate solution is um like an evolved form of thinking, or if it's actually naive to what human nature actually results in 99% of the time.
00:15:14
Speaker
We've all heard like the thought too that it's like this has been a relative time of peace and as far as the world has experienced that's you know that we're in right now. Obviously, there's always countries warring against countries, obviously with Russia and Ukraine and such right now, but in general, we're pretty insulated from the true this kind of true depravity of constant warfare that would have been taking place much more at this time period. I know this last ah year I've spent a lot of time reading about books about the American West and how the American West essentially became the American West. And I mean, it was just truly depravity like this. I mean, there's just battle after battle.
00:15:54
Speaker
that's constantly going on, you know, a lot of really horrible things occurring on a pretty regular basis to people out in frontier areas and, you know, obviously all the ways in which Native Americans were mistreated through that, but also just like the viciousness of man as people tried to acquire more land or and or protect their land.
00:16:18
Speaker
But yes, I think like I personally like Matt, I see what you're saying. And we definitely get the picture that Pauline Keys is coming from not a place in kind. And that this is a very, he very miss very much mistreats alex Alexander's in the situation. But I do think that considering the times like that final quote, I think it's a ah pretty powerful quote when you think about it. And about essentially war, or not peace, but it's also at a time and a place kind of thing. You know, if you consider the situation, that was the way they, I would imagine, kind of had to think. So kind of to continue on this just a little bit further, you guys feel like you see any application to this in our modern lives? What do you mean application? So I'll read the quote. So, war not peace produces virtue. War not peace purges vice. War in preparation for for war. Call forth that all that is noble and honorable man.
00:17:09
Speaker
It unites him with his brothers and binds him them with selfless love, eradicating the crucible and of necessity, all which is basing noble. So any application as you all read that, as you think about that.
00:17:22
Speaker
Yeah, I think it comes down to discipline and preparing for what's to come. So this chapter with Paul Nikes is showing us how the Spartans view mental discipline and being able to be in the right mindset when hard times come or when someone is talking bad about you. And I think a lot of that is lost in today's culture.
00:17:45
Speaker
If you say something bad about someone right now, then chances are you're gonna be recorded, and then you're gonna get canceled, or people are gonna say, you're a terrible person for saying those things. But Fles keeps on saying, Gen Z is weak, paying these. Compared to the Spartans, yeah. They are mentally training their young men to be disciplined,
00:18:14
Speaker
and to be able to do what they're supposed to do when the hard times come. And I think that is kind of lost in a lot of today's men. Yeah, I think of you know, which is about a couple weeks ago, some of the we'll call it the Goggins philosophy. Right. So David Goggins talks about the hardening of the mind. And I think that some might view that that phrase as just a negative thing. But to me, I see the application of discipline of like how disciplined can you be not falling into and of a victim mindset and also doing everything you can to to prepare for what life may throw at you.
00:18:55
Speaker
My cousin's husband's in town from Germany and he was in the Air Force and we're talking about this tonight, but he was saying that like young kids today cannot take any kind of criticism anymore. And there are just some examples of people crying whenever they're critiqued, like in a workplace type scenario.
00:19:14
Speaker
And he was talking about how the military prepares you to take criticism daily so that whenever you're out into civilian life, you're not one of these people that gets yelled at by their boss for something and then goes and cries. But I think that maybe I'm just ragging on Gen Z again.
00:19:33
Speaker
but But I think like the hardening of the mind is just like another example of being able to take criticism. Criticism isn't bad. My cousin's husband was like, they would do, whenever he was doing pilot training, he's like, I don't want to know what I'm good at. Don't tell me what I'm good at. Tell me what I'm bad at. That's what I want to know. What am I bad at?
00:19:55
Speaker
But people now, like they don't they don't want to be told what they're bad at. They want to be praised and can't take any criticism. so I still remember I had this exchange with this student I was working with, and I feel like I'm pretty mindful when I'm giving feedback and doing so in a caring, compassionate way.
00:20:13
Speaker
And I'm right. I told the student some of the patients are saying that you're coming across a little bit, a little bit harsh and maybe not very friendly. And I kind of gave some input as to like, hey, here's some ways in which you can soften up a little bit. And the response that I got back was, well, that's just the way that I am.
00:20:33
Speaker
And I think the idea is like i give I give a critique, right? And then it's not only is the critique not accepted and like, okay, I'll work on that, but it's like, how dare you critique me? Because that's me. like That's who I am. like I can't change myself.
00:20:52
Speaker
And I think that's sad. And um and Adam, you mentioned Gen Z, but it really, I mean, a lot of people are this way. A lot of people, they kind of accept their weaknesses and they say like, yeah, that's just like how it is. I think as it pertains to how, you know, we raise our kids in modern day America versus how the Spartans raised their young men, they were doing what they thought was the loving thing to do, given the backdrop and the context of the period.
00:21:21
Speaker
and what they expected their kids to have to deal with. And I think you can't really blame them any more than you blame parents today for trying to position their kids in the world in a certain way. I will say that parents back in the day probably definitely, well, they definitely had a lot less concern with their children's children's well-being mentally and physically, which I think probably did build that kind of anti-fragile mindset like we learned about in the anxious generation compared to today. But I feel like it's really hard to compare the two because it's apples and oranges. you know like If the United States has been in a state of constantly being attacked on their own soil for the last 50 years, our culture would be totally different. Our kids would be raised totally differently.
00:22:12
Speaker
I also draw parallels when we talk about this to the way that generational wealth seems to... I know this sounds like a big jump, but like generational wealth seems to not be able to stick around more than two or three generations.
00:22:27
Speaker
because the generation who built the skills needed to gain a certain amount of wealth spoils the next generation and then the third or fourth generation has never even seen what you know ingenuity or real work looks like or discipline looks like in order to keep that whole train going into the future. so I think it's kind of the same thing with with the discipline of you know war and everything else. If you're in peacetime for X amount of years, there's really no need to try to harden your young generation because you don't even know what war looks like anymore.
Dioniki's Compassionate Leadership
00:23:02
Speaker
yeah So in this section, I also wanted to spend a little more time talking about Dionychis, so previously noted as Alexandros' mentor. In this section, Dionychis yet again shows a nurturing form of leadership. ah So as as Matt kind of mentioned, Dionychis essentially rebukes Palanikis for embarrassing Alexandros, but yet he even does so in like in kind, stating that he hopes that Palanikis survives as many battles in the flesh as he has already fought in his imagination.
00:23:31
Speaker
and that may he also may acquire humility. In private, Deinikis later encourages Alexanderus. He explains that Polynikis was not seeking to harm, but rather to teach. He also impresses upon him the importance of discipline and stating, habit will be your champion. When you train the mind to think one way and one way only, when you refuse to allow it to think in another, that will produce great strength in battle. This is what Matt was referencing earlier.
00:23:56
Speaker
In this section, Dionychis decides to reassign the squires. Ziones is no longer Alexander's helper, but rather will be Dionychis. And Rooster will now be assigned to Alexander's father, Olympias. So Dionychis appears to have more depth to him than most characters, at least that's kind of what I'm i'm picking up on. Do you all feel that he embodies a true Spartan leader, or is he rather an exception to a Spartan leader?
00:24:22
Speaker
And to clarify, he seems to kind of have the softer touch. He's a little more nurturing than some of these other leaders that we're seeing. Do you feel like in that and him, is that him being truly Spartan? What they're aspiring to be is culture or rather is he an exception to that? I think for me, I don't know. I probably don't have an answer to your question if he's an exception, but I think what I've enjoyed about this book is the character development of various Spartans where my only other background on this group is, you know, like the movie 300. And it's like, everybody's got a six pack. Everyone's just screaming all the time and everyone's just like sweaty and yeah. And chanting, you know, and, um, there's no fear of death ever. They all love it.
00:25:17
Speaker
And it just is what it is kind of thing. So to me, I'm like, but I think there's just humanity. I mean, think of, think of the fraternity. Think of us. We all have vastly different, we we all grew up in Missouri and one um specific part
Varied Masculinity in Sparta
00:25:33
Speaker
of the country. Yeah. We have pretty different views. Except for Roberto. Yeah. ah Well, no, even him, Nebraska, right? Like in that same some i agree though Well, I just mean like the Midwest all within a few hundred mile radius of each other like culturally very similar. Yeah. And um just so like we all have very different personalities and nurturing toughness, ah very emotive, you know, very stoic, whatever it may be. And I think that's what's great about the Spartans is like, Alexandros likes art and poetry and it's like modern day, right? Like
00:26:12
Speaker
I'm on the football field at practice in high school and it's like, Oh, the soccer players and slurs were being said. You can imagine what they, you can just fill in the blank. And it's like, that's not like what manhood is about. Other people didn't care. Other is, you know, some people would try to be super tough, like Paul and Nike's and others didn't, you know what I mean? And so Alexandros, as the book goes on, turns out to he is initiated. He is a warrior. He fights. So it's not like you have to be one way. You don't have to be like not Leonidas, the actual person, but Gerard Butler's his interpretation of Leonidas in the movie and just scream the whole time and just like never have any fear.
00:26:55
Speaker
that's what's been really cool about this. So I don't think there's like one way. I think the ultimate thing is like, will you hold up your shield and protect the person to your left and to your right? And there's a whole host of nurturing personalities, not, you know, screamo, verbally abusive Spartans. I don't, I don't think there's just so one way, but the bottom line is that you have to be willing to fight and not be afraid to the point where you will defend your brother no matter what. To me, I think Dainiki's is the ideal male Spartan. So he's portrayed as, and we'll see more of this in the next book, but as the most honorable type of person there is. Incredible warrior, obviously.
00:27:44
Speaker
All these people are like Olympic level athletes and he's a little bit older too. So I think he has the experience of fighting in wars, but he's also wiser compared to, say, Paul Nike's, whose mid 20s or so.
00:28:03
Speaker
And I think just being older, being a father and brings wisdom from experience. And so being an honorable man, being an incredibly gifted warrior, being wise, that and makes you an ideal type of person.
Habits and Personal Development
00:28:21
Speaker
At least that's how the book is portraying him to be yeah so far.
00:28:25
Speaker
Yeah, I agree with that, Matt. I think that in the way that I'm reading, because it's kind of from Zioni's perspective, you must get this sense that Zioni's is surprised by the compassion that Dainiki shows. And I think that you're right, though, in the sense that he does have this complexity to him that is truly Spartan are essentially ideal man, right? And I think that if you look at the different stages of these other individuals, you know, Zione's being like 14, 15 at this point, and Poloniki's being like mid 20s, I can relate to it because like what I viewed as being truly manly attributes at 14, 15, and even at 25, I think is drastically incorrect.
00:29:17
Speaker
as to what I view manhood now. And so I think to me, I think Dainiki really exemplifies masculinity in that. And so yeah, that's kind of that's kind of how I'm coming to it at this point of like, well, he's strong, but yet he can deal with the complexities of things. that's you know For me, that's what you know I strive for. that That's my my kind of hope is to like try to find that balance of, I think that's what manhood is about, is being a complex individual who can have the strength to care for your family and then yet deal with more emotional sensitive issues. You know, earlier I mentioned the quote that Dainikis says. um So he says, habit will be your champion. What does this mean to you guys? Yeah, I mean, we are habits.
00:30:05
Speaker
So Adam, can you remind me of the poster that you had up in your room ah when you're grown up you up? Actually, you remember it, which is funny. I don't even remember it. The perseverance one? Yeah, what does it say? So growing up, Adam had this in his room.
00:30:20
Speaker
And I don't know why, but it is like always stuck with me. Apparently it's Gandhi who said it. I don't know if he first said it, but it's your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values and your values become your destiny. I don't remember that being Gandhi. I don't think it's sit that on your poster. I remember it was like a basketball hoop on it. Yeah.
00:30:50
Speaker
That's a good one though. We'll go with that, that being it. That's what that's what it is. We'll be your champion. That's what it means. That's a much shorter way to say it. Yeah. I think of the book, atomic habits, which is still extremely popular five, six years after it was published. And I just read it for the first time earlier this year. And I feel like I've seen some of the fruit of that and making some.
00:31:16
Speaker
dietary changes, some exercise changes, and very small tweaks that compound. And I think the author and Atomic Habits uses the phrase like, if you just get like 1% better today throughout that 1% over the course of 100 days or a couple of years or whatever, really grows.
00:31:42
Speaker
So marginal gains. Yeah, yeah. And with this story and Alexandros and it's like, hey, like this is who you are. You're a Spartan and this is what's expected of you. So we we have to create the habits that no matter what.
00:32:00
Speaker
You're going to be, you know, prepared for battle. And I think there's a truth to that in every aspect of life, not just war, but specifically when it comes to war. I mean, because back then, too, it's literally face to face with your enemy. It's not like shooting off rockets and being thousands of miles away fighting the enemy.
00:32:23
Speaker
You have to, I mean, it's those weapons and those arrows and those swords and spears are literally going to be right there and you can't flinch. You can't have a moment of fear and you have to stick to the plan, your commands, your orders. And that is built through all this training that they do and the hardening of the mind and you build those habits. And that's why at the beginning, only 23 died when they killed thousands or whatever it was.
00:32:51
Speaker
I got some good notes from the Atomic Habits book. So the first one is success is the sum of our daily habits. It's not some miraculous event. It's a good one. ah Systems are greater than goals. Goals help set a direction, but systems help for making progress. Winners and losers all have the same goals. Achieving a goal is a momentary win. Goals restrict your happiness. You can't be happy until you hit your goal. Goals recreate.
00:33:18
Speaker
in either or conflict to the narrow box of happiness. Fall in love with the process rather than the product. You can be happy anytime the system is running. Yeah, that's a good book. I really highly recommend it. And then it's like each habit is an atom that builds to the bigger success of your life. That's a good book. It's really like this book towards the end.
Ziones's Promotion to Squire
00:33:42
Speaker
when Ziones does become a squire to Diana Keys. He basically gets promoted from taking care of the cattle and the herds to being Diana Keys' is second squire. But the way Diana Keys says it to Ziones, I thought it was really funny. And maybe you guys can relate. But to be a squire, you have to be as dumb as a mule, numb as a post, and obedient as an imbecile.
00:34:12
Speaker
He says, in these, see on these, you are impeccable.
00:34:20
Speaker
Can you guys relate to that at all? Would you guys make a good squire? Only if you were who I was with. You do all the cattle stuff for him too.