What was the philosophy of the Spartan warrior? Agisilaos' answer to Athenadis, as it is written in Panagiotis Mpaltakos' historical fiction novel, says it all:
"Why to fight?" asked Athenadis. "Why do we toil and exert ourselves so hard?
Why do not we enjoy everyday life and the little pleasures of life like the rest of the Greeks?
What is the purpose?
Has that question ever occupied your mind, Agisilaos? "
"It simply struck me at the time. But every day I give the same answer. It is quite simple. We are defending a futile goal. A war that is lost before it has even been fought. We are defending a way of life that is unique in all of Greece. An austere and deprived way of life, a way of life that will sooner or later disappear. We cannot win. "
"Therefore;"
"So, an absolute pleasure: The pleasure of the soul, not of the body, real pleasure. Continuous and lasting. Redeeming pleasure. To fight in a battle that cannot be won. Winning battles in a lost war.
Always striving for victory. Pursue it even when you know it cannot be achieved. Merchants strive for profit. Warriors for victory. But what victory?
Victory in life, not just in battle. If you are defeated in life, what is the value of winning the battle?
Defeated in yourself, what is the value if you defeat the enemy? That is all the warrior can truly desire.
He fights the enemy indicated by his superiors, but first and foremost he fights himself, his instincts, his passions, his weaknesses. It is this perception that distinguishes us from the other Greeks.
It is the reason why they regard us as sinister. Because we have achieved the impossible. A society that does not discriminate based on wealth.
A society of like-minded people. That infuriates those who have a vested interest in maintaining a different social status in their own cities. That is why they slander, libel, spread lies about us.
Are we a military society? Clearly yes, but to what end? To preserve our material possessions, the poor homes, the minimal lot, the non-existent wealth? I do not think so.
We are militarily organized to protect our truly unique way of life. We defend the perception of a society of like-minded people, and that is what disturbs the strangers.
But what disturbs them fascinates us. That is what we want. To stand out from the crowd. "Not because we have accumulated wealth, but because we have managed to live differently in every small and insignificant moment, in every detail of life."
Source: BOOK The end of Ephialtes - Baltakos D. Panagiotis
