How a Few Can Help The Many

Perhaps you know the story of the 300 Spartans. It was first immortalized by Herodotus, and then has been passed down through the ages (there’s a wonderful Steven Pressfield novel about it). If you don’t know the story, here’s what happens: Facing an invading army of some 300,000 Persian soldiers that threatened to annihilate Greece, King Leonidas led just 300 Spartan warriors into battle in a desperate attempt to buy his neighboring countries a chance to coordinate and defend themselves. For three days, the soldiers fought at what’s known today as the Hot Gates, against so many Persian archers and soldiers that it was said their arrows blocked out the sun. Eventually, inevitably, the Spartans fell, but not before they had slowed Xerxes and his invaders down enough to save the free world. In their honor, the poet Simonides provides this epitaph:Stranger passing by, tell the LacedaemoniansHere we lie, having obeyed their orders. You sit here reading this email, in part, because of their brave sacrifice. Just as you sit here because of the soldiers who landed at Normandy, and, if you’re in a democracy, because of the sacrifices of Cato (who attempted to save the Roman Republic) and George Washington (who, inspired by Cato, founded America). These were missions that required immense selflessness, and all the Stoic virtues: Courage. Temperance. Justice. Wisdom. The few helped to save and serve the many. Have you seen the meme being passed around these days, in the time of COVID-19, the global pandemic ravaging countless nations? It shows a row of matches. The first several are burned out. One rests slightly below and all the matches to the right of it remain like new. “The one who stayed away,” it says, “saved all the rest.” (And think about the opposite: Patient 31 in South Korea, instead of staying away, potentially infected many people and may have ruined South Korea’s containment of the virus out of pure recklessness). If you want to know what you can do right now, how to help in this crisis, it doesn’t require a sacrifice like the heroes mentioned here. It’s much simpler. Stay at home. Listen to the pleadings and warnings—these are not for fun. Yes, you’re young. Yes, you’ll probably survive catching the Coronavirus, but a person you give it to, or the hospital bed you take from them? That’s a much more serious scenario. Help them by flattening the curve. Help buy them and the system some time. Rush to the Hot Gates… by staying home. This is not a drill. Don’t be selfish. We’ve talked for a long time about what a good person looks like, what a philosopher is. Well? Now is the time to be one. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:06Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystoic.com.

• 0:28Ryan Holiday?

  How the Few Can Help the Many Perhaps you know the story of the 300 Spartans. It was first immortalized by Herodotus and then has been passed down through the ages. There's a wonderful Stephen Pressfield novel about it. If you don't know the story, here's what happens. Facing an invading army of some 300,000 Persian soldiers which threatened to annihilate Greece, King Leonidas led just 300 Spartan warriors into battle in a desperate attempt to buy his neighboring countries a chance to coordinate and defend themselves. For three days, the soldiers fought at what's known today as the hot gates against so many Persian archers and soldiers that it was

• 1:10Ryan Holiday?

  said that their arrows blocked out the sun. Eventually, inevitably, the Spartans fell, but not before they had slowed Xerxes and his invaders down enough to save the free world. In their honor, the poet Simonides provides this epitaph: "Stranger passing by, tell the Lacedaemonians, here we lie, having obeyed their orders." You sit here, listening to this podcast, in part because of their brave sacrifice, just as you sit here because of the soldiers who landed at Normandy, and if you're in a democracy because of the sacrifices of Cato, who attempted to save the Roman Republic,

• 1:50Ryan Holiday?

  and George Washington, who, inspired by Cato, founded America. These were missions that required immense selflessness in all the Stoic virtues: courage, temperance, justice, wisdom. The Few Helped to Save and Serve the Many. Have you seen the meme being passed around these days in the time of COVID-19, the global pandemic ravaging countless nations? It shows a row of matches. The first several are burned out. One rests slightly below and all the matches to the right of it remain like new. The one who stayed away, it says, saved all the rest. If you want to know what you can do right now, how to help in this crisis, it doesn't require a sacrifice like the heroes mentioned above.

• 2:34Ryan Holiday?

  It's much simpler. Stay at home. Listen to the pleadings and warnings. These are not for fun. Yes, you're young. Yes, you'll probably survive catching the coronavirus. But a person you give it to or the hospital bed you take from them, that's a much more serious scenario. Help them by flattening the curve. Help buy them and the system some time. Rush to the hot gates by staying home. This is not a drill. Don't be selfish. We've talked for a long time about what a good person looks like, what a philosopher is. Well, now is the time to be one. And as I read that to you, I'm actually looking at the Marcus Aurelius print that we make. And it's something I try to think about all the time.

• 3:17Ryan Holiday?

  He says, "Waste no more time talking about what a good man is like. Be one." And I think these are what these Stoic reminders that we make and sell here at Daily Stoic that we try to talk about, these emails, are really for. They're to inspire you when it counts, when it matters. And so if you want to check that out, it's in the Daily Stoic store at dailystoic.com/store.