When Leonidas and his meager force marched to Thermopylae, they knew they would die. They had no illusions of merciful treatment should they be captured. Knowing this, they held nothing back. They fought fiercely against the odds against them and were able to hold back the invading army, if only briefly. These men fought to their deaths without even considering surrender.

Today, we celebrate the movie "300." The "This is Sparta" meme was born. We recognize the selflessness and bravery of Leonidas and the Spartans. We admire this and acknowledge them as heroes. We realize that because these men committed the ultimate sacrifice, they were able to change the world and live on as legends. Yet men have not approached battle with this spirit in over 100 years.

James Bowie wrote to Governor Henry Smith, "Colonel Neill and myself have come to the solemn resolution that we will rather die in these ditches than give it up to the enemy." When the Mexican army took Bexar, they raised a red flag signifying that no quarter would be given. The Texians responded by firing a cannon. At the start of the battle, William Travis is quoted as shouting, "Come on boys, the Mexicans are upon us and we'll give them hell!" These men knew there would be no surrender. They were all killed in battle.

Due to the bravery of these men, the phrase "Remember the Alamo!" has entered our vernacular. This was the battle cry which boosted morale during the Battle of San Jacinto, where the Texians finally defeated Santa Anna and Texas achieved independence.

In both battles, the defending armies were underdogs facing overwhelming odds of at least 10 to 1. They fought valiantly and died for their causes. Through their deaths, they achieved a victory. While the opposing armies may have won the battle, they were Pyrrhic victories. Both of these battles were decisive turning points that lead to the eventual defeat of the attacking armies. By committing themselves fully to battle, these men inspired their countrymen, showing what they could do if they only had the will to do so, while simultaneously destroying enemy morale.

There have been times in recent history, when it was preferable to be a prisoner of war of the enemy than a citizen of the country you were sworn to protect. Soldiers of countries with despotic leaders or high poverty levels who were cold and starving would find surrender a way to remove themselves from these discomforts, regardless of whether they had family in their native land or not. They knew the opposing army was obliged to protect them. We could see this happening in Desert Storm and now in the current conflicts in Iraq and Georgia.

When there is no alternative but death, you will give battle all of your energy. This is how heroic battles of the past have been fought that we celebrate today. Even in parts of life that aren't warfare, giving all that we have is the way to accomplish something, even if at personal cost. Whether raising a family, running a company, or helping a civilization expand, we sacrifice something of ourselves to get ahead.

As our time has turned to decay, and our civilization has begun to make collapsing noises from deep within, we see a different outlook, which is that we have censors overlooking our method. These censors come in the
name of Justice and Safety and they comprise the psychological component of the nanny state. Like children with BB guns, we are admonished to make sure no one gets hurt to the point where our ability to enjoy being
children is destroyed. We are told to pay more attention to correctness of method than the sheer power and accomplishment of having a goal, and that is why our society moves backward every minute.

Since we have robbed ourselves of valor, there is nothing for us to do but rebel like teenagers, decorating our rooms with posters that say "I may be forced to go to school, but I don't want to," in the many metaphors of rock music and absurdly impractical political stances. Our frustration, like stale sweat, grows on us until we hate ourselves, all because we cannot honestly strive for anything without succumbing to the neurosis of methodological, moral, humanist critique.

In the film Gattaca, the character Vincent engages his genetically superior brother in a contest to see who could swim the farthest from the shore. Vincent dedicates himself by exerting all his strength to win. His brother holds back, concerned about the return swim. Vincent achieves victory through sheer will alone, not concerning himself with the consequences. This is how valiant battles are fought.

Every type of method-based self-censorship we tolerate makes us weaker. Why should we have a Geneva Convention? War is hell, fight it to the maximum! Why should we have constant propaganda imploring us to stop smoking or wear condoms? Life is struggle, do what seems best! And so on: these little rules, made with the best of intentions, slowly deprive us of the ability to give our whole selves toward struggling for a goal, and while we may be safer, it is our spirits that have lost.