Cost of Glory

Coming back to Plutarch's essay on having many friends, with remarks from Zeuxis, Chilon, and Thucydides

A quote and meditation from Plutarch's On Having Many Friends. Sign up for our email list at ancientlifecoach.com! 

The podcast discusses the aftermath of Pyrrhus' death and the fate of his kingdom. It explores the role of Pyrrhus in the outbreak of the great Punic Wars, and reflects on gift-giving and its influence on the Roman festival Saturnalia. Merry Christmas (or Saturnalia) to all!

Antigonus was famously once asked, “who is the greatest General of our day?” to which he replied, “Pyrrhus, if he lives to be old.”This is the third and final installment of The Life of Pyrrhus, King of Epirus.  [Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis.See Ilias' work on Facebook, or Instagram (@ilias_markantonis)]Pyrrhus takes opportunity after opportunity, always imagining this will further his cause.  It begins with a Sicilian expedition. After this, Pyrrhus returns to Italy to fight the Battle of Beneventum.   Then he goes to Macedonia to try and claw back an opportunity he didn’t pursue earlier. It’s a predictable pattern, according to Plutarch:“Pyrrhus was always entertaining one hope after another, and since he made one success but the starting point for a new one, while he was determined to make good each disaster by a fresh undertaking, he allowed neither defeat nor victory to put a limit to his causing trouble for himself and for others.”Pyrrhus made his mark by cultivating an almost maniacal focus on winning in battle - he had a lust for combat. In doing so he won for himself long lasting glory. But we should perhaps ask, together with Plutarch - what was the cost? And was it worth it?  On today’s podcast:Pyrrhus’ whirlwind Sicilian expeditionFabricius’ revengePyrrhus vs AntigonusThe Siege of Sparta The Battle for ArgosLinks:https://ancientlifecoach.com/Some Places MentionedAkragas (Agrigento)Leontini (Lentini)Tauromenium (Taormina)Eryx (Erice, Trapani)Lilybaeum (Marsala)Tarentum (Taranto)Beneventum (Benevento)SyracuseCalabriaAegaeSpartaCreteCorinthArgosNafplio

“Pyrrhus… saw clearly what great happiness he was leaving behind him. But he just couldn’t renounce his hopes of obtaining what he eagerly desired.”We can think of many ambitious leaders or groups who made a big dent in the world by smashing through boundaries: The Mongols, The British East India Company, Moses and Joshua taking the promised land.  But many dreamed big and failed to deliver: Napoleon in Russia, Xerxes in Greece.Which kind of leader will Pyrrhus be?In this episode, the story of Pyrrhus' great challenge to the Romans; the first well-documented visit to Rome by a Greek; Pyrrhus' famous utterance,  “If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined.”Some takeaways:Fortune favors the bold: if you have your heart set on something, why not do everything within your power to achieve it?  Show compassion even when you don’t have to - Pyrrhus consistently showed respect for his enemy.  Also Pyrrhus is not famous for being a politician, but he was a competent negotiator who sought a peaceful resolution before resorting to violence. On today’s podcast:The cost of following your dreams Showing respect for your adversaryWinning wars without resorting to violence (sometimes)Letting your strengths guide your decisionsLinks:https://ancientlifecoach.com/[Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis.See Ilias' work on Facebook, or Instagram (@ilias_markantonis)]Thanks to our sponsor, Ovadia Heart health!  You can support this podcast by visiting the following links and, if you like something, make a purchase.  Dr. Philip Ovadia's Metabolic Health Tracking SystemStronger Hearts Society with Dr. Philip Ovadia"Stay off My Operating Table" eBook"Stay off My Operating Table" AudiobookI've been using Dr. Ovadia's guidelines in my own life for a few months and been experiencing great results.

Pyrrhus, the Warrior King.  Father of the "Pyrrhic Victory."  Smuggled out of the palace at two years old.  Raised in exile by Illyrians.  Pyrrhus grew to be the "greatest commander of his day" according to observers like Hannibal and Antigonus.[Original music score based on Epirot and other Greek folk traditions, by Ilias Markantonis.See Ilias' work on Facebook, or Instagram (@ilias_markantonis)]In this episode:-Find a mentor-Transcend a mentor-Identify the Master Skill in your field, and focus-How to master fear-Seizing opportunities to expand your networkThanks to our sponsor, historical fiction author Jackson Riddle! www.jacksonsriddle.comCheck out his new book, A Potter's Vessel, an alternative telling of the conflict that became the US Civil War.Pyrrhus of Epirus (319-272 BC) was a cousin of Alexander the Great.  He was the first man to take battle elephants to Italy. He defeated the Romans on several occasions in what became known as the Pyrrhic Wars.In Part 1, we meet Pyrrhus as a 2 year old, as he is snatched from his crib in a deadly coup.As he struggles to establish himself in his kingdom through his teenage and early adult years, he learns that the only path toward self-reliance for him and for his kingdom is through the sword.  Some lessons:It's always useful to have a mentor.  But you may not have to bind yourself to that person forever.“As his former mentor and now esteemed arch enemy, Demetrius put Pyrrhus through the best school of war anyone could hope for – strategy, tactics, hand to hand combat – Pyrrhus could learn it all from the best - if he could keep his head.”Also, seize any opportunity to expand your network both professionally and personally. Case in point: Pyrrhus in Asia, and Egypt.Find a master a skill in your own field. If there is one thing Pyrrhus exemplifies, it is the power of personal courage in a leader.  So if that’s an area you need to work on (hint: you can never have too much courage), start now.  Courage is physical.

"Satisfy your souls on Plutarch, and dare to believe in yourselves when you believe in his heroes" - Nietzsche **PYRRHUS ARRIVES NEXT WEEK**Friedrich Nietzsche: Greek Scholar, Plutarch fan, student of history, incisive critic of history nerds such as your host.How does history help us, actually? Is it in the ways we think?Listen to this episode for encouragement if you feel woefully ignorant about history.  Or, if you are a big history buff and need the occasional kick in the pants.Insights and Quotes from Nietzsche's Essay "On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History."Available on its own hereor in this collection.

Plato spent time around some bad people.  But he had a way of trying to stay at the top of his virtue game despite the many bad influences he was around.  You can use it too.Links to Lysias' Against Eratosthenes (Lysias 12), mentioned in the episode:A PDF (It's public domain):https://ryanfb.github.io/loebolus-data/L244.pdfPerseus (Annoying interface, but convenient):https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0154%3Aspeech%3D12

How enemies can be more useful than Reason itself.  Anecdotes from Chilon of Sparta, Scipio Nasica. From Plutarch's treatise How to Profit from your Enemies.  His treatise was addressed to Cornelius Pulcher, of Epidaurus, custodian of the cult of Asclepius.

In the Parallel Lives, the philosopher Plutarch pairs individual Greeks and Romans with each other, comparing their lives. In the last few episodes of The Cost of Glory we’ve shared Plutarch’s stories about the lives of Eumenes of Kardia and Sertorius of Rome, pulling out key lessons for modern leaders. In this comparison episode, we’re joined by guest narrator Stephen Blackwell, President of Ralston College, Savannah, Georgia.(www.ralston.ac)Plutarch offers his own thoughts on the lives of Eumenes and Sertorius.We offer ours on their respective legacies. Both Eumenes and Sertorius lived similar lives, with similar fortunes, and competed using similar qualities. They both possessed great innate talent, and a tremendous dedication to hard work and perfecting their skills. They were also motivated by powerful ambition, but were both ultimately betrayed by people on their own team.Lessons?#1:  If you’re a leader, you need to do everything you can to read the character and disposition of your immediate reports. Are they following you willingly? Or are they likely to jump ship when something better comes along? Take measures to learn the character of your subordinates. #2:  For your legacy: Leave behind living people who admire and respect you. People for whom you gave everything you had, to help and defend their rights, to promote their flourishing in the world, even at the highest cost. They’re the ones who will ensure your good work lives on. On today’s podcast:Plutarch’s comparison of Sertorius and EumenesJulius Caesar and the legacy of SertoriusThe importance of having favorable storytellers:  Hieronymus and SallustIs loyalty a virtue?The importance of being faithfulChannel your ambition into a cause and principleLinks:www.ancientlifecoach.comPlutarch’s essayRalston College