Woe to the Conquered: Failure is Slavery in this New World
I finally watched Gladiator 2 and I have pretty mixed feelings. It’s a jumbled mess, but yet had some great action scenes. Shows Rome in all its splendor, horror and glory. Yet the characters are strange, the storyline middling, the speeches not so inspiring or quotable like the first movie. Who can forget “what you do in this life, echoes in eternity” or “Are you entertained?” Or “Strength and Honor.” It’s hard to recapture the essence of a classic.
But I’m not writing this as a movie review. I’m writing this as the big lesson that I think most people missed. There was a quote in the early part of the movie by the victorious Roman General Acacius after he had conquered Numidia. He says: “Woe to the conquered.” And truly is, all the survivors made slaves and shipped back to Rome to fight in gladiator games or serve as literal slaves to Rich Romans.
So many of you are wondering so what? It’s just a movie. Well this movie is reflective of reality. Reflective of the state of human history for most of our known world. The strong win and conquer, the weak serve them. And usually in not so pleasant environments.
We presently live in a world where most people believe that slavery is bad, that you help, protect and take care of the weak. Judeo-Christian values. Ones that drive the West. It’s not perfect. But it’s not terrible either. But this is all under threat. We have squandered the peace and gotten weak.
Most of the world, especially the Axis of Autocracy don’t believe in our values. Most of the Global South doesn’t believe this. Not saying they should either, they have their own proud histories, beliefs and cultures. Perhaps this fight was inevitable. Borders will change. Sovereignty can only be defended with strength. The weak will be eaten, literally and figuratively. Might makes right.
“The greatest temple Rome ever built. The Colosseum. Because this is what they believe in. Power. They gather here to watch the strong strike down the weak…..He spoke of dreams. I speak of truth. And in my Rome, it’s the law of the strongest.”
It’s probably a return to the way human history always has been. The formerly strong get weak and stupid. And new and hungrier challengers come forth to topple the old order. And the winners are absolutely merciless, treating the losers horrifically. If they did not completely slaughter or wipe them out all the men and enslaved all the women and children.
I truly believe our way of lives are under threat. This fight this upcoming decade whether hybrid, economical, or kinetic will be existential. If we lose, it will not be pretty. Remember that America helped rebuild Japan and West Germany after defeating them in World War 2.
Our enemies CRINK will not be so kind or merciful if they win. You don’t have to go too far into history to find evidence to prove this. Katyn Woods in Poland when thousands of Polish officers were executed by the Soviets in 1939. Holdomor in Ukraine during the 1930s where an estimated 5 million Ukrainians were starved to death. Russia literally raped and pillaged most of Eastern Europe in 1945 and after WW2. The genocide of the Uighurs at present by the CCP. Russia in present occupied Ukrainian territories with their torture centers and summary executions. It’s all there for the observant to see.
So wake up everyone in the West. Pax Americana is over and the jungle of chaos is creeping forward. The multipolar world is here and we, America and our allies (or the ones that the Trump administration has not alienated yet) are in the fight of our lives. I feel this closely and deeply with my deep personal ties to Ukraine, Taiwan and Japan. I fear for the future of my child especially with my teenage daughter in JROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp). The stakes are high. And very personal now.
This will be impacting all of you soon too. Each of us needs to be acting accordingly. America ain’t perfect but I much prefer an American order or empire even than to the alternative of CCP led one, which is a new form of surveillance state tyranny.
Get angry for the dire situation our incompetent corrupt Western elites have put us in. We are in the death ground. There is no front line. The frontline will be everywhere and we will all have our part to play. “A man can choose to fight and stay alive. It’s the same in life as it is in the arena, is it not?”
The main bad guy Macrinus, played by the excellent Denzel Washington goes on to say:
“It is an art, choosing gladiators. Some choose entertainers. Some chops brute force. I choose rage. The crowd loves blood. And they love those who love blood as much as they do. Rage pours out of you. You will be quite the fighter.” Rage and a sense of urgency is all I have now. “The Greeks call it thymos. Smoke. Rage. That rage is your gift. Never let it go. It will carry you to greatness.”
I will end this with a quote from the movie, repeating Virgil: “The gates of hell are open day and night. Smooth is the descent and easy is the way. But to come back from hell and view the cheerful skies, in this task mighty labor lies.”
“Strength and honor” is needed now more than ever in our world.