The greatest blessing to liberty is peace. In times of peace, the people of free nations prosper. Goods increase, as does opportunity. Entertainment increases, as does the arts. Science and celebration dominate the people of free nations; peace allows them to exist free from any inhibition to their creative processes (internal because they are free, external because they are at peace). There is a catch however; the people tend to become softened to the harsher aspects of reality. Freedom from war tends to dull one to the possibility that it will happen and what to do when it occurs. This was the exact situation Dionysius of Phocaea faced when trying to prepare his men for war.
The mighty empire of Persia had conquered all of Ionia with ease (Ionia was the area of Greece on the coast of Asia Minor, modern day Turkey). Miletus, the largest Greek city in Ionia, resented Persian dominion and rebelled. Many smaller cities followed as well. The size of the rebellion met little resistance from Persia at first (there were not sufficient forces in the area to qualm it). Darius, then Emperor of Persia, gathered a large force to crush the rebellion.
In response to the impending army, the Ionian states gathered together to discuss the best course of action. Their decision was to leave, "..the actual defense of Miletus...to its people, while they [the rest of the Ionian Cities] themselves should man every available ship, and concentrate them at the little island of Lade, just off the coast opposite Miletus. Here they would fight a naval action in defense of the town," (Herodotus, 6.7). The total Ionian navy consisted of 353 triremes compared to 600 ships from Persia.
During a meeting of the Ionian Naval Commanders, Dionysius (commander of the Phocaeans) spoke. "Fellow Ionians...our fate balances on a razor's edge between being free men or slaves-and runaway slaves at that. Come then: if you are willing to submit for a while to strict discipline and to spend a few laborious days, you will thereby be enabled to defeat the Persians and keep your liberty. If, on the other hand, you continue to live soft and to go as you please, then I see no hope whatever of your escaping punishment at the king's hands for your revolt..."(Herodotus). Dionysius's appeal worked and the Ionians began immediately to prepare for war.
The soldiers endured seven long days of strenuous labor and drill until their resolve cracked; they refused to work. Seeing the softness of the men, Samos (an Ionian city) withdrew their support of the rebellion and returned to Persian rule. As they were withdrawing, the Persian fleet came to the island of Lade for battle. When they spotted Samos retreating, the men of Lesbos retreated as well. This left a small Ionian contingent (made up mostly of ships from Chios) to defend the area and defeat Persia. Their attempt failed, and soon after, the rebellion was destroyed. The consequence for the rebellion was that, "...Miletus was reduced to slavery, and...most of the men were killed by the Persians...the women and children were made slaves...the men of the city who were captured alive were sent as prisoners to Susa [the Persian Capital]. The Persians themselves occupied the land in the immediate neighbourhood of [Miletus]."(Herodotus).
As the Persians would soon find out, it was not lack of numbers but a lack of strength and courage on the part of the Ionians that lead to a Persian victory (at the battle of Marathon, around 50,000 Persians were defeated by an army of 10,000 Athenians and 1,000 Plataeans). Not only were the odds less than Marathon (less than 2:1), but the Ionians had the advantage of knowing the area and having the time to prepare. It was indeed Ionian softness, which Webster defines as, "lacking robust strength, stamina, or endurance especially because of living in ease or luxury...", that crushed their very hope for Liberty.
With recent news about the increased buildup of military forces in China, as well as a continued resolve to capture Taiwan (allied with Russia and threatening to use Nukes), we as Americans must remember that liberty requires our strength and courage. If we remain soft to the threats of military dictatorships like China, who also have nuclear weapons, history will repeat itself. America may find herself opposing a Chinese force at the island of Lade...er...Taiwan. If so, may our soldiers, our leaders, and the American people remember the words of Dionysius: "...if you are willing to submit for a while to strict discipline and to spend a few laborious days, you will thereby be enabled to defeat the Persians and keep your liberty. If, on the other hand, you continue to live soft and to go as you please, then I see no hope whatever of your escaping punishment at the king's hands..." with China being the King who certainly would punish us. But it doesn't have to be that way; if we remain strong both internally (by keeping up our armed forces and continuing their training and drills) and externally (against China-not compromising but retaining our courage) we will find ourselves in the same situation as the Athenians at Marathon-victorious over a numerically superior enemy. Our liberty depends upon it.
-Jason Roberts
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