The spartan 300

One movie I would give a thumps up to for year 2007, amongst a few others, would be the movie about the Spartan 300. The movie gave account of 300 hundred men led by their king Leonaides, who came up against a battalion of armies if not more, in order to protect the right of his people to be free men and not have to submit to the ruler ship of king Xerxes, who himself was on a personal vendetta to conquer and rule the world as compelled by his lust and to be regarded as a god. King Xerxes had come a long way in actualizing his dreams as he had conquered and enslaved almost half the world but for the stubborn resolution of Leonaides the Spartan king and his three hundred brave soldiers. For it was against the custom of the Spartan people to give in to fear, threat, or oppression without a fight. The king of the Spartan people kept to this custom even though he had to fight some opposition from from his ownpeople;corrupt officials, two faced priest of the Spartan oracle and a mortal traitor in the Spartan assembly. Even though at the end of the crusade to stop the surging lust of king Xerxes, king Leonaides and his three hundred died, but apparently did not loose the war as at the latter end of the movie the Spartan nation came to reason and therefore shared in the passion to stop king Xerxes, and eventually did. What gave these men the victory? What in the world gave these men courage to stand toe to toe with this powerful king (Xerxes), to put him to battle even though the world had surrendered to his dirty lust and apparently the odds were against them as they were out numbered? The answer would simply be that they yielded themselves to the culture of the Spartan people, which would include fearlessness, courage, loyalty and honor. Yet there was something unique as to how there imprint this culture into them selves as Spartans generally. The following are observation as to how the Spartans build such strong character.

I. Groomed to face challenges from the prime and the innocence of youth: The lessons taught at this stage of life between the ages of probably 5-10 includes:

1. Never retreat
2. fight until the death
3. use your wit and your physical strength
4. first you fight with your head and then with your heart

II. Measure strength with ones peers: Youths are separated from their parents and taken to a secluded place where there made to battle one another to see who comes out victorious.

III. In order to declare the attainment of manhood the youth are sent out to slaughter wild ferocious beast. This would be an exercise to confirm the strength and preparedness of the youth to take on life and manly responsibilities.

The movie also shows us the events that took place before and during the war. Apart from the display of skill with the sword, it also shows the character of the king and his 300 in the face of great danger and how they keep to the principles they had been made to learn. These noble battle winning principles as portrayed by these men in the face of challenges could be applied in our personal lives even as we come against the challenges of life in general. These principles include the following:

I. king Leonaides visits the oracle:

- Use your reason yet obey the voice of God

- Be weary of covetous and greedy men. take not to their counsel even though they are dressed in holy cloak

- Fight to protect the lives of those under threat, especially the lives of the weak and defenseless

II. the match to war:

- Do what must be done for the benefit of humanity and your people

- Strength does not have to be cold and free from the warmth of emotions

III. the encounter with the Acadians

- A hand full of men no matter how small but committed to a goal and defined by it, is greater than a hand full of men in large number yet with diversified interest.

Quote (Leonaides); “Spartans what is your occupation”, response; “aarhu…aarhu…aarhu”.

IV. the destroyed village

- learn from the experience of the defeated

- Nothing is immortal, invincible and indestructible until it has passed the test you are ready to give.

V. the encounter with the villain messenger

- ignore the threats of the loud mouth pompous messenger

Quote; messenger- “A thousand nation of the Persian empire descend upon you”

Messenger- “our arrows will blot out the sun”

Spartan response- “then we will fight under the shade”

VI. The encounter with the hunch. It testifies to the customs of the custom of Sparta

- feel no fear

- make your weapons a part of you

- take note of weak spot to discard

VII. the first battle

- stand your ground

Quote; king Leonaides- “give them nothing, take from them everything”

- A good strategy will defeat a great number.

VIII. the arrow attack

- give space for a little laugh.

IX. the second battle

- Leave stones unturned, no prisoners to mercy.

- Create a strong defense line.

X. the Acadian panic

Quote; king Leonaides-“Spartans prepare for glory”.

- focus on the goal

- keep to principle even to the death

- win and maintain your freedom, exchange it for nothing

XI. the captains speaks after the loss of his son

Quote; “I never told my son I loved him”.

- There is no weakness in expressing ones feelings especially and only when it is positive.

XII. the ambush;

the Spartan are betrayed by the hunch, yet

- Death is not the worst thing that could happen to a man but the submission to fear.

The beautiful thing about watching a movie is not just about the action, blood, swords, combat skill amongst other events that may be entertaining but the valuable lessons one could learn from them. So any time you pick a movie look beyond the magic and focus on the lessons. Most especially go and pick up a copy of the Spartan 300 movie or visit a cinema to see the movie, if you haven’t.

I Like Better Than I Do Best

I learnt long time ago never to say i have done my best, because to me that would mean that i have reached my limit and that i can not go beyond that point.To me, best would conote a point at which nothing better can happen.It means the peak at which there are no greater heights to reach considering what the body and mind can permit.it is simply a point of death.When a person says he or she has done his or her best, they giveup eventhough the project in which they were involved is not yet finished.

I hate limits and certainly do not want to acknowledge their existence.I know that what ever you try over and over again while learning from your previous failures and making corrections along the way can eventually come out good at the end the day.Take for instance the story of the man who invented the light bulb.Thomas Edison,had failed over a thousand times in his quest, yet he kept on going until he eventually succeeded.Imagine if after the 999th failure, he had packed up and said okay, we have done our best, creating a light bulb is not just possible.What would have been of him?For one, history would not have bothered putting his name to memory and probably some one else would have gone ahead to discover the light bulb.

“I have done my best” is a quitters language because he or she always looks for a easy way to success, and when it doesn’t come, they back out and give up,and as you know; quitters never win.

I like to use the word better because it connotes hope and the possibility that it can be done.While best marks the end, better marks the beginning of another best and it goes over and over and over agin.I am comfortable using the word better as it means that even though you think you have reached your best there is still a better.Think about it,in the 90s the best time in the 100 meters track and field event is way lower than it is now and i am certain even as the future unfolds many more records would be set and broken as people get better and better over time.

The truth of the matter is that the only people who have done their best are people who are now dead.I believe strongly that you who are now alive have not not reached that point,no,not until you are locked up in your grave.As long as you are alife you are yet to reach your best.So please do not give in to the idea that it is impossible no matter what that thing you are working on may seem like….please do not give up..keep going.And you knows what you are working on could solve problems for a lot of people.

Will conflicts ever end

What is your understanding of the phrase world peace? Do you think the phrase implies the non-existence of conflicts or disagreement amongst men or situation where there would be zero blood shed? In my infant years I thought that everything wrong with the world would one day have a fairy tale ending and man kind would live happily ever after. But as time ran along I began to discover that conflicts are a strong part of our co-existence as men. And this unpleasant condition may never come to give way, probably until the end of the world.

Conflicts come as a result of diversified interest. They start first as harmless self or collective pursuit of varying or competitive goals and then they culminate into ugly expressions of hate, anger and violence.

My own definition of world peace would be one where disputes, disagreement, and conflicts would surely exist but would not amount to violence. As long as man kind exist conflicts will not end and we may never break free from its grip, but letting these conflicts amount to violence and war is up to our ability to keep our emotions in check and therefore respond responsibly.

The world is in a disastrous state, apparently because man kind has frequently lost self control, there by allowing sparks of emotion grow into holocaust that has consumed lives and properties over the decades.

I want world peace may be just as much as you do but we may never get to experience this reality if we do not come to grasp what it entails. This peace as sort after by the U.N.O, beauty par gentries and other N.G.Os can only come, when mankind has come to appreciate restraint, self control and a sense of responsibility.

Selfishness, greed, covetousness amongst other foul habits of humanity displayed on a daily basis is the reasons why the world is up-side-down. People pursue their interest regardless of how harmful they could be to others.

The solution, you probably know it or have heard of it. It is a word most commonly used yet a word most commonly abused. Yet is a word that has the capacity to solve all the problems of this world. That word is LOVE.

Women are truly from another planet

The woman is from another world, I don’t know where from, but I know for a certain not from around here. They think differently and act strange; they never try to compromise but will always take their stand no matter the heat their stubborn stand is brewing.

She is certainly something to be studied and properly understood. To her logic is far too stupid to be considered a basis for any form of reasoning. Yet she is smart and swift. She even speaks in a strange language. I wonder what sort of a being she is, the mechanics that keeps her running her strange to me.

They have said she is weak, yet those who are supposed to be the stronger are at her mercy. The irony is out standing; the man finds his weakness in a woman but the woman finds her strength in the man. Even the strongest man the world ever saw, Samson, was brought to knee level by a woman. A man, whom the whole philistine army in their battalion could not subdue, was handled by a woman…one woman…just one. I don’t think a woman or any woman for that matter in what ever number, could ever beat me in a fight, but then her weapon is not in the strength of arm, so I will probably relent on my confident stand.

It is certainly remarkable, the woman, just by walking past a group of men could snatch their attention, and no matter how powerful they may appear to be or the power they seem to have they drool at her feet. God made man and gave him all the power in the world but gave the woman control over the man. The man is the head of the home, so they have said yet the man will not make a decision if the woman does not assent to it.

The man has been bought cheaply with fallacies, he prides himself as the head yet what is the head without the neck. He thinks he is in control but the truth is he is kept under control….kept under the strong influence of the so called weaker sex…what a farce we have believed.

Yet another fallacy, they have said it’s a man’s world but that’s just one of those beautiful slogans that only mean as much as they sound. The truth is the world belongs to the woman, she may not be president but for a certain authoritatively resident. God in his great wisdom has made it that way; men live with it and submit to it, because from where I stand we simply have no choice but to relate with these powerful alien beings the way we have always done.

discovering your potential

The serial drama “Heroes” tells about a gifted set of people, men and women who posses’ special powers and now are faced with the decision to accept their gifts, putting it to the use as they choose; either for good or for evil, the decision ultimately rests on their shoulders. But a few who do not understand the relevance of their gifts searched for a means to give it all up, most of which were out of fear or the comfort they had derived from the lifestyle of normalcy. They do not want to be different or unique, as this may mean getting ostracized by society, encountering difficulties or loosing out on trivial opportunities. How true this is in real life.

Most of us are so caught-up by the tidal comfort of the normal life that we drift through life doing absolutely nothing relevant or worth remembering. Yet we take to idolize those who have committed their time and resources in accomplishing great things which we could our selves accomplish if only we broke free from comfort or acceptance mentality.

Being different is not a bad thing as a matter of fact it is a wonderful thing. Great people as we have them today are those who dared to break from the fold by consulting their special gifts and talents. These ones have therefore inscribed their names on the memory of men and the pages of history, which have sworn never to forget their respective accomplishments and contribution to man.

Happiness or fulfillment will only come when we live our lives to the fullest, putting our full strength to work as we go about achieving worthwhile goals, especially those that benefit humanity. But how can we attain the height of our full potential, as most of us who really want to achieve such height have found it extremely difficult?

Just don’t give up.

will grasshoppers ever see grace

Have you ever seen grasshoppers before, I have seen quite a lot myself. Well if you haven’t, permit me to describe them for you. Grasshoppers just as their name imply find their habitat in grassy areas, they never leave this environment as they feed, breed and find safety in this lowly place. These creatures have wings but surprisingly never fly far from their comfort zone. By nature they have been made to act the way they do, so they should not be blamed. But I would vehemently condemn the attitude of men who have taken to this nature. People who have neglected their glorious nature as would be manifested in their destinies to settle for their insignificant existence. Most of them have said that life is not fair, and that a few people are born to be great or are born to greatness while the rest should therefore be comfortable with their lowly status as nothing can be done to change this status. It is absolutely repulsive to hear people speak like this. I simply do not believe that some people have been privileged to live fulfilled lives while the rest have to settle for abject misery and dissatisfaction. I do believe that the kind of life we live or the destinies we eventually meet are absolutely dependent on the choices we make. So the truth of the matter is that whether you are significant or not is dependent on you, the choices you make and your perspective of life. Those who have achieved greatness have had to work for it and even those who were born to greatness still have to work to maintain it. It actually takes deliberate effort to ensure that one lives a relevant lifestyle even as they direct their efforts towards solving problems.

Problem solving is the key to being relevant to any given generation and eventually achieving the prestigious status of greatness. We have the capacity as men to solve problems as we all have been blessed with talents and gifts. But just as grasshoppers with wings but never fly far, most people will never venture far with the use of their gifts and talents or even use them in the first place, so they sit back hands folded even as they watch life drift by. Bitterness swells in their hearts against every other person but themselves, since these persons are supposed to be the ones responsible for their plight.

The truth of the matter is that grasshoppers will never see grace, as they will never leave their lowly place. But of course unless they realize their potentials, develop and use them. So please do look within yourself because I know for certain that you have what it takes to be great. Stop being a grasshopper.

true maturity

I have been thinking for awhile now, pondering on the subject maturity, wondering what it actually means to attain such a status. Questions keep pouring into my mind concerning this issue. What is maturity? What does it entail? I have been searching for answers to satisfy such questions but as time passed and I grew older my curiosity grew even bigger. In the past I confused maturity for age, size or any form of physical development not until it dawned on me that maturity had little or nothing to do with physiological development. When I was much younger than I am now, I had always wanted to be an adult, I wanted to live alone and basically do those things that adults do. But as I grew older, I discovered that being an adult is way more that just having fun. The truth of the matter is that not every adult has come to digest this truth, and that’s why adulthood does not connote maturity. Now what then is maturity?

Maturity is simply the tendency towards responsibility, knowing to be accountable and the capacity to handle adversity. I developed this definition from reading books on pchsycology, the bible, borrowing wisdom from experience and digging deep into my mind in meditation as I dealt with the information already available to me. Now from the definition above you would notice three key words; Responsibility, accountability and Capacity.

Let’s deal with the first word Responsibility.

What is Responsibility?

When I was much younger, I was a child; I thought and acted like one too. I wanted everything to be done for me. Basically I lived like a king, I would wake in the mourning and my breakfast was ready, I would be taken to the bath room to be bathed, even my mouth would be taken care of by my parents or guardian, and the money I had were given to me. I hated responsibility like a drunk would hate to be sober and I was not looking to ever come to that state where I would be required to take responsibility, but eventually I would. Responsibility is doing what is needed to be done. It involves identifying a problem and going ahead in lending a hand in solving such a problem. Responsibility is simply the core of maturity without which one could still be considered a child. The next key word in the definition is Accountability.

What is Accountability?

I have always wanted to be free…….go where I wanted with no questions asked or answers required. I just wanted to go where I wanted to go and return when I wanted to. Freedom was to me breaking free from the claws and hawk eye of parental monitoring. But as I grew older I began to understand the crucial importance of answering to other people especially those who occupy authority positions in my life. Giving account helps you to avoid making mistakes and even preserve your life. Most people even benefit from being accountable to people they admire or people who have more experience than they do. By entering an accountability relationship, you get to benefit and grow mentally; where it matters most when it comes to maturity. So go and belong to a group, go get a mentor, talk to an elderly person e.t.c.

Lets now consider the last word; Capacity.

What is Capacity?

Knowing what to do is not the most important in taking responsibility but knowing how to do what I needed to be done, now that’s the koko of the issue. Capacity is the ability to do what is needed to be done. Gaining or building capacity is basically exposing yourself to learning and the acquisition of skill. So go out gain or build that capacity.

Maturity is a stage of life we must all get to arrive at, because the truth of the matter is that we never get live to our full potential or we may fail to live our purpose if we don’t get to that point of maturity.

 

criticism

Most people do not understand the importance of criticism, as they either use it as a malicious weapon when they at the giving end and perceive it as a personal blow when they are at the receiving end. These categories of people as outlined above simply do not understand the crucial importance of “feedback”. I love criticism but not as a weapon for breaking a person’s drive for achieving great things but as a means to redirect or give correction. I come from a society where people find confidence in them selves by successfully destroying the other persons self respect and esteem. Yet I must condemn this awful anomaly that has gradually taken a toll on the several societies around the world and even families too. Criticism is anything but evil if put in the right context, as a matter of fact the best performers are those who have been constructively criticized. To criticize an individual is to help point out areas where such an individual can improve. It is simply a means by which people can be made to perform better or meet expectation.

When I was much younger and more confused than I am right now(lol), I made a lot of mistakes and made countless wrong decisions. People who were aware of my mistakes and decisions at that time were no help at all; they successfully compounded my problems with their abusive approach and helped add to my depression. That period of my life was awful for me as I became even more confused, alone and sickly. My growth was also impeded, not my physical growth, but my urge and drive to live and learn were completely brought to ground zero. I was afraid to take a step…..afraid to mix with people…..even afraid to speak in public or amongst friends, my confidence was completely trashed. My experience as briefed above is an example of how the wrong kind of criticism can destroy people and their self worth.

Care must be taken when one is dissatisfied with other people performance so as not to compound the problem for these people. Get angry, it is very important yet take care not loose your head and run your lips like a car that has lost control, because your careless words might take lives……think about it.

introduction: FASHIONUP2TREND

The idea behind the concept fashionup2ternd is born out of the fact that we need to constantly respond to the need for change and improvement so as to soothe our living conditions. Life is permanently plagued by challenges that impede the possibility our ever getting to live smooth lives. These difficulties come out from the pocket of nature making the various productive and social activities of man invidious. It is therefore important for us humans to respond to these difficulties in such a way that they are corrected. In order to solve these problems, it is therefore important for us to ask our selves questions like, how can I as a person help to alleviate the difficulties humanity have had to encounter? The most creative people in the world are those people who have asked and answered these questions. And these ones have therefore help to solve very crucial problems yielding themselves to the need for change which is born out of identifying new directions, channels of progress and development, and these in turn are all a product of the quest to be productive and creative.

Creativity is the key that opens the door to the place where we could at least get to experience a little if not the whole possibility of living a life free from these difficulties, so that we can carryout our social and productive activities smoothly. Every man on earth has the capacity to be creative and if not, at least productive. Yet as men we may never successfully exploit these gifts if we do not give our selves up for service to humanity and also committing our selves to identifying and solving problems. Helping people solve their problems or challenges even as we consult our respective unique approach is the means by which we can be creatively productive. The importance of creativity is beyond measure and can not be left without vehement emphasis, and that is why we have taken it upon our selves here in fashionup2trend to help blow this trumpet so that humanity comes to share in our passion to create an atmosphere for creativity, and therefore bring your attention to the fact that you have some thing valuable to offer if only you look into your self find that creative edge.

It is crucial we respond to life positively and creatively, so that we improve the standard of living and make ourselves relevant to our respective generation. Heroes are not those who fly, have super human strength, can pass through walls or the sort, but are those who would submit themselves with their strength and abilities to help rescue people from their challenges and problems, and bring to light innovations or inventions that would help benefit humanity.

What problems have you identified? What solutions do you want or propose to proffer? It is important that we as individuals answer such questions by actually looking out for ways to lend a helping hand. The world today is plagued with jobless people who have been trained only to be job seekers rather than job providers or freelance self employed individuals helping companies perform their duties. This can be done in many ways; by providing useful information to these companies, solicit for contracts, amongst a few more other productive activities you can engage in.

So go out be bold and daring, accomplish great things, and cultivate a creative and productive lifestyle.      

when kings were heroes

Have you seen epic movies, especially those that tell of brave, courageous and valiant men, as well as men who lack these prestigious qualities? I have seen quite a few myself, but one thing I notice in these movies is the outstanding bravery of royalties, especially of men and women who literally bear the weight of the crown. It amazes me to see these folks leave the comfort and glory of their throne to fight along side ordinary men; a phenomenon that hardly exists these days. In time past royalties were not just defined by glamor or by beauty of their entourage and wealth as we have it these days, it included the strength, bravery, and courage of these folks as displayed in their passionate battles against injustice, and how much they would give, even sacrifice their own lives for their people and land. I can’t help but take a stroll down to the shores of history and mention a few names of these men and women of honor and glory, who had fought to relish the beauty and dignity of their throne and crown. These ones would include; King David, Alexander the great, Illeanaides of the Spartan 300, Cleopatra queen of Egypt and most of all, the kings of all kings, the one to whom non of these or any other could be compared as to the relevance of mission and purpose, Jesus the Christ. In those days authority and power had much to do with the strength of arm and the resolution of the heart, and not as it is today, where men of similar status glory in their cowardly rendition of schemes and greedy adventures. These days kings lounge in the foolish, filthy and cowardly, glamour and vain wealth even as their shameless arms of oppression and deception hold the scepter of power. Their words are shallow and promises vague, for time as it ran along would only prove their words to be deceptive. Inspiration no longer floods the corridors of power as these men have thrown character to the wind. I wish I could go back into those times when men valued honor, glory and courage, as such were willing to fight to protect such valuable virtues, but thank God for movies I simply don’t have to.