Damn You Frank Miller ... And Thank You

I could never try any hard drug. Seriously, I'm terrified of becoming addicted. That's because I have this addictive or compulsive nature. Once I become interested in something, I become completely consumed by it.

Example: the whole Jackass thing. I still love this show. Once I started watching the show, that was it. My friend P and I in law school were there on opening night laughing so hard, we had headaches afterwards. I tried to get everyone interested in my obsession. To this day, when I have to create sample forms or templates, I always use Johnny Knoxville or Steve O as the examples and Chris Pontius or Ryan Dunn as extras.

Right now, I'm completely obsessed with the Battle of Thermopylae. You see, about 3 months ago, I went to see Saw 3 (It's was a friend's choice, not mine) and one of the previews was for the new movie 300. That's all it took. That night, I went home and immediately started to look up information on the film.

It's an adaptation of an older Frank Miller graphic novel "300", which is loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae. I remembered the name because in leadership school in the Army, we learned about using terrain and other naturally occurring factors to overcome superior numbers and arms. The movie trailer just brought it all home for me. So thanks to Frank Miller who has made me an even bigger history addict than I already am!!! He gave us Sin City and now he's giving us 300. It's like he's some sort of pusher.

But as for the battle, imagine setting out from home with about 300 soldiers knowing that you will never return. You are heading to your death, there is no ifs, ands or buts about it. It's a certainty. And yet, you go. I can't even fathom the Spartans thoughts as their home left their sight knowing it was the last time they would see it. The moment that they had trained for their entire life was to die on a battlefield far from home. Did they secretly weep? I know historical accounts paint the Spartans almost as emotionless robots, but they were human after all.

So Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae are my newest obsession. I just ordered a book from Amazon on the topic and I'm excited to tear into it. Before long, I'll give you a bit about why Sparta had the right idea and why it would never work today.