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The philosophy of the Spartan lifestyle
Let us begin by introducing you to the philosophy behind the Spartan lifestyle. Which societal factors promoted such personality characteristics (i.e. persistence, self-confidence, self-efficacy, courage) that were in a way responsible for the resilient mentality of Spartans during turbulent and violent times? Sparta was considered a distinctive city-state of ancient Greece, located in the south area of Peloponnesus. Geographically rich and with a good climate, this region flourished around 750BC. Spartans were well known as fierce warriors and for their military discipline, but also they were unique in terms of culture when compared to other Greek city-states and other nations of that time. Spartans were proud people, both for themselves and for their origins! Historical traces support that their ancestors arrived in the area during the Dorian invasion, and Spartans claimed that they were the ‘Return of the Heraclids’. According to the Spartan poet Tyrtaeus, the Spartan kings were direct descendants of Hercules and asserted that their tribe had returned to Peloponnesus to continue their glorious legacy (Gerber, 1999). Their uniqueness stems from their persistence towards excellence and devotion to their state: excellence pertaining all activities they undertook, such as battle training, dancing, singing and athletic competition, and devotion to their state, undertaking a collectivist approach, with every Spartan being driven by motives of group cohesion and support towards others with a common goal – the wellbeing, prosperity and advancement of Sparta. For such reasons, Spartans had created a developmental/educational system (the Greek term is agoge) for all of Sparta’s citizens (both male and female, although females followed a less demanding upbringing, but nevertheless demanding and radical when it comes to women concerning such an ancient period), with the aim to cultivate strong values, such as courage, pride, endurance, discipline and resilience. Behind the agoge training system lies a whole philosophy that was very futuristic and effective when taking into consideration that it existed approximately 2,500 years ago. The agoge system will be thoroughly analyzed in the next chapter, since it was considered as the backbone of ancient Sparta’s fame, which involved the creation of the most elite warriors in ancient history.
In our times, those values still play a critical role in our lives and more specifically in our work lives. We are all striving for a successful and prosperous career in order to be financially free. To succeed at that, we need to be strong and determined towards our goals no matter the obstacles and difficulties we are going to meet along the way. In other terms, we need to be resilient and focused on the achievement of our goals no matter the stressors involved, and this is what you will achieve by implementing the techniques and advice provided in this book.
Spartans had a strict but at the same time fair law system where every political class had a voice. Spartans were really law-abiding citizens. They respected the laws (the Greek term is eunomia) developed by the famous legislator Lycurgus, since they believed that only within a just and fair environment was it possible for someone to find security and stability. At the same time, they had created a sophisticated governing system. To begin with, Spartans had two kings; in times of war, one led the army in the battlefield and the other remained behind to lead the city-state. Below them, hierarchically, there were 30 elected ephoroi as Spartans called them (in our times this could be paralleled with middle/upper management of a company). All of them were individuals over the age of 60 who were well respected by everyone, due to the fact that through the years they had cultivated leading wisdom, or in other terms their leadership skills, and had fought honourably in numerous battles. Interestingly, every year, five citizens were elected, for only once in their lifetime, to be members of the governmental scheme, and they represented the voice of the people. They had such a power that if they wanted, they could call even the king to a trial, if, let’s say, corruption allegations existed (Cartledge, 2013). Such a structure was pretty just and created a sense of bonding between Spartans.
Women in Sparta
A characteristic that distinguished ancient Sparta from the other Greek city-states was that women had an active role in society. This is really spectacular! Sparta was the only Greek city-state and most probably one of the few regions in the ancient world where women were considered equal to men and had the right to vote and speak for themselves; they were highly respected by other members of society. It seems that the topic of gender inequality, which is still prominent in our modern societies, was nonexistent for Spartans, who believed that all human beings are equal between them regardless of their sex, thus promoting high commitment levels from all citizens to the state. Spartan women under this well-deserved equality excelled and were considered the most impressive in the ancient world (Pomeroy, 2002). Spartan women seemed to share the same lifestyle philosophy that modern women/business women seek. They were fit, took care of their appearance but without exaggeration, had a high self-esteem and confidence in their abilities and possessed very good interpersonal skills. It seems that both mental and physical ability were of high importance to those women, using them as a gauge of their self-worth. They were intellectual and motivated, and male Spartans always used to seek their advice in many topics. Although women did not follow the complete training program, in Greek named agoge, that male Spartans did, their training schedule was also demanding and stimulating both in physical and mental development. Instead of the rigorous physical training they were trained on dancing and choral work, and the majority of them were literate, self-confident and out-spoken (Pomeroy, 2002). As Spartans believed, in order to give birth to a strong child and to provide the infant with a strong upbringing, both mentally and physically, the women had to be strong also in the same aspects, especially since the father was constantly away either at war or at training (Spartans were not allowed to live and sleep in their house, even if they were married, until their thirties).
All the aforementioned details regarding Spartan women in such an ancient era seem extraordinary even today! I am sure that the majority of the readers would think that the Spartans, with such a strong military structure, would have treated women in an inferior way. On the contrary, Spartans were proud of their women, and all Spartans, regardless of their sex, were constantly driven by an urge to improve themselves in every way and to reach perfection. Both male and female Spartans wanted to become citizens of a perfect city-state because, after all, a perfect nation or a perfect work environment is created by the quality of its human capital.
Spartan culture
Although Sparta showed some masterpieces of art and civilization, nevertheless it was more military oriented in order to be able to protect itself from the threats of that time period. Does this look familiar? Isn’t it just like us today, as we are trying to protect ourselves from everyday demanding schedules and a ‘to do’ list that does not seem to reach an end?
So, Spartans invested not in the production of artefacts but rather to their personal development, since for them the most superior piece of art was nothing more than the strengthening of the self both physically and mentally.
A well-known Greek ancient saying – nous igiis en somati igii – denotes that a healthy mind exists in a healthy body. Consequently, when experiencing an internal balance, one can reach a level of homeostasis where peace, calmness and tranquillity occurs regardless of the external forces that one meets in everyday life, enabling a sense of physical and psychological wellbeing and enhanced levels of performance in everyday tasks (Cannon, 1935; Cartwright & Cooper, 2009; Chrousos, 2009). Spartans considered themselves as the most brilliant artefacts in terms of self-discipline, ethos, morality, respect, physical and psychological state, all features that imply a continuous training and effort that fostered them to become more resilient day by day no matter the obstacles met along the way.
Furthermore, in terms of arts, dancing and singing were considered important for Spartans (both for males and females), because through such activities they were enriching their spirit, they kept morale high and, indirectly, they were lowering their anxiety levels during stressful periods. Spartans used dance as a technique to empower their fighting skills during battle since they were well known for their choreographic battle moves. Basically, they used dance as a means to become trained and prepared for battle, uplifting their fighting/military performance to a higher level (Cartledge, 2013).
Spartans were considered minimalists both in their way of living and also in their sayings. They always preferred to be active listeners and to give short replies, but with higher meaning. Some very famous sayings that demonstrate Spartans’ persistence and their willingness to live fully and with no fear are presented here (Plutarch & Talbert, 2005):
- King Leonidas’s response to Persian Emperor Xerxes in the battle of Thermopylae, when he asked Spartans to lay down their weapons, was molon labe, meaning ‘come and take them’. The Spartans were significantly outnumbered, but they resisted until the end, though they were all killed in battle.
- That saying comes in accordance with the Spartan mentality where, when a Spartan warrior was departing for a battle, his mother told him i tan i epi tas meaning that he should ‘return with his shield or upon it’, as a victor or dead.
- Finally, when King Philip of Macedonia sent some orders to Spartans, they laconically replied: ‘What you wrote about, no.’
Concluding our introduction concerning the Spartan lifestyle, when referring to Sparta we can distinguish several commonalities with the modern society underlying various topics. The main differences simply reflect technological advancement. The human element remains the same, but in the majority of the cases, if we exclude university certificates and technical knowledge concerning any occupation, the inner self has been left unfulfilled. However, in our times a shift has been made again when business and life in general are under the microscope, in that companies constantly recruit individuals not only for their hard skills, which you can find in abundance, but for their soft skills that seem to play a critical role in the development of cohesive and bonded teams that can mix their talents and reach optimal performance (Zedeck & Goldstein, 2000).
In the next chapter we are going to complete our historical reference to ancient Spartans by giving extra notice to the system underlying the creation of Spartan warriors, to understand how these individuals were nurtured to become the most elite, fearless and fierce warriors of the ancient world.
References
Cannon, W. B. (1935). Stresses and Strain of Homeostasis. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 189, 1–14.
Cartledge, P. (2013). Sparta and Lakonia: A Regional History 1300–362. Abingdon: Routledge.
Cartwright, S., & Cooper, C. L. (2009). The Oxford Handbook of Organisational Wellbeing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Chrousos, G. P. (2009). Stress and Disorders of the Stress System. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 5, 374–381.
Gerber, D. E. (Ed.). (1999). Greek Elegiac Poetry: From the Seventh to the Fifth Centuries . Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England: The Loeb Classical Library, 200, 258.
Plutarch, & Talbert, R. J. A. (2005). On Sparta. Rev. ed. New York: Penguin.
Pomeroy, S. B. (2002). Spartan Women. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zedeck, S., & Goldstein, I. L. (2000). The Relationship Between I/O Psychology and Public Policy: A Commentary. Managing Selection in Changing Organizations: Human Resource Strategies, 371–396.
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The Spartan warrior
Are you prepared for a battle? You should be…. The modern work environment can be considered as a battle terrain where nothing is stable. If you want to reach the top tier of your craft, you need to fight your way up daily. You either fight or flee; you either persist or perish; you either believe in yourself/skills, keep your grounds and march forward or fall back to mediocrity.
In this chapter the famous concept of the Spartan warriors is going to be thoroughly analyzed, explaining the techniques that those individuals were using in order to deal with the demands of their everyday life, techniques that eventually led to the cultivation of a strong internal state of Spartan warriors, resulting in them becoming highly resilient against stress.
It is quite an oxymoron if you think about it: the fact that such a group of people in the south area of Greece, although moving against the cultural and political norms of all other Greeks and ancient civilization in general, had actually succeeded in developing and following such a distinct lifestyle, a lifestyle that equipped them not with luxurious and tangible assets but rather with intangible internal power and self-confidence that made them fierce even in the face of death. Such an assumption goes in accordance with specialists who state that Sparta was one of the most fascinating ancient societies that played a significant role in the development of the Western civilization (Cartledge, 2003). Although ancient Athens was famous for architectural monuments, democracy, philosophy and theatre, Sparta presented a matchless vigour when it comes to values such as duty, discipline and persistence. Such values reflect a societal/cultural cause worth dying for, a collectivist effort towards the common good of the state and a strong willingness to triumph in the face of overwhelming obstacles (Cartledge, 2003).
Thus, we believe that spending time exploring the way through which something like that was possible to succeed is worthwhile. We believe that we can relate the features of the Spartan lifestyle to our modern times and find commonalities that can help you lead a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle. By doing so, we do not mean that you will have to embrace a harsh and demanding lifestyle and start going for survival exertions in the mountains (although this might be something that you as an individual might be fond of! It’s up to you). On the other hand, we suggest that in order to become resilient and highly effective in your work environment, you need something more than just a seminar, a training course and a meeting with your colleagues or supervisor. You need something with a long-lasting effect. What you need in general terms is to evolve your physical and mental toughness. Mental toughness is considered by researchers as a critical feature that enables an individual to overcome successfully very demanding situations and perform to high standards, and it is suggested that it is an imperative characteristic for success in life (Jones & Moorhouse, 2007; Weinberg, 2010). Spartan warriors experienced substantially high levels of mental toughness.
However, in order to achieve such a transformation, you will have to change your way of thinking and change the way through which you see and perceive things – the way you behave. Changing your way of thinking is not an easy thing, though. Core beliefs cannot easily change. They can be altered, but they cannot completely change. Therefore, in order to achieve such a transformation, you will have to embrace new alternatives of thinking and challenging your beliefs, and this is how you can eventually change your behaviour. You must break yourself into pieces and reinvent yourself, as the military system does to Special Forces candidates during their induction training (Green, Emslie, O’Neill, Hunt & Walker, 2010). The military does so to its members and is highly successful; hence, something similar is needed in the business world, following an elegant, respectful and sophisticated way. Such a transformation, though, requires time and effort, since change does not come within a da...
