Counting the Days

One of my favorite movies is Gladiator and yes, as the title suggests, it is chock full of violence as one might surmise by the title of the movie.  Gladiator is an epic drama about good versus evil, loyalty and betrayal, and one in which you are drawn to the character Maximus, who is played by Russell Crowe.

Maximus is a General for Marcus Aurelius and is a skilled military tactician and leader of men.  One of the things that is of great interest to me, though, is a glimpse into his personal life that takes place during a dialogue between him and Marcus Aurelius.

Image Credit

After an opening battle scene in which Maximus and his Roman army defeat the Germanic army in a hard fought campaign at the cost of many lives, the Caesar calls for his General.  He wants to talk to him.  The dialogue pulled back the curtain on what really drives men.  Man is more than his work and although he may do his duty day in and day out, there is more than performing your 9 to 5 job that drives you.  You may be wondering how in the world Gladiator has anything to do with farming, right?  Well, stick with me for a minute...

Here is the dialogue between the Marcus Aurelius and Maximus: Dialogue Credit  I've bolded and highlighted in red key parts (at least to me).

Maximus: You sent for me, Caesar?

Marcus Aurelius: Tell me again, Maximus, why are we here?

Maximus: For the glory of the empire, sire.

Marcus Aurelius: Ah, yes. Ah, yes, I remember. Do you see that map, Maximus? That is the world which I created. For 25 years, I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the empire. Since I became Caesar, I have known four years without war, four years of peace in twenty. And for what? I brought the sword. Nothing more.

Maximus: Caesar, your life...

Marcus Aurelius: Please. Please, don't call me that. Please, come sit. Let us talk together now, very simply, as men. Maximus, talk.

Maximus: Five thousand of my men are out there in the freezing mud. Three thousand of them are bloodied and cleaved. Two thousand will never leave this place. I will not believe that they fought and died for nothing.

Marcus Aurelius: And what would you believe?

Maximus: They fought for you and for Rome.

Marcus Aurelius: And what is Rome, Maximus?

Maximus: I've seen much of the rest of the world. It is brutal and cruel and dark, Rome is the light.

Marcus Aurelius: Yet you have never been there. You have not seen what it has become. I am dying, Maximus. When a man sees his end... he wants to know there was some purpose to his life. How will the world speak my name in years to come? Will I be known as the philosopher? The warrior? The tyrant...? Or will I be the emperor who gave Rome back her true self? There was once a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish... it was so fragile. And I fear that it will not survive the winter. Maximus, let us whisper now, together, you and l. You have a son. Tell me about your home.

Maximus: My house is in the hills above Trujillo. A very simple place. Pinkstones that warm in the sun. A kitchen garden that smells of herbs in the day, jasmine in the evening. Through the gate is a giant poplar. Figs, apples, pears. The soil, Marcus- black. Black like my wife's hair. Grapes on the south slopes, olives on the north. Wild ponies play near my house. They tease my son. He wants to be one of them.

Marcus Aurelius: Remember the last time you were home?

Maximus: Two years, 264 days, and this morning.

Marcus Aurelius: I envy you, Maximus. It's a good home. Worth fighting for. There is one more duty that I ask of you before you go home.

That really touched me for several reasons. First, despite conquering the world and re-writing the map, Marcus Aurelius was concerned about his legacy. The Caesar knew that he was dying and was was wondering whether or not his life had purpose.  He changed the world and yet he was worried about whether or not he accomplished anything meaningful.

He turned to his loyal servant, Maximus and wanted to hear about his General's personal life. Maximus' answer was poetic,descriptive, emanating his love for his family and his land.  He spoke of his home, his wife, his son.  He was not a warrior at heart.  He was a FARMER!  He described the soil like only a farmer would, comparing it to his wife's hair, for crying out loud!

Did he love his home?  Yes, in fact he was counting the days that he had been away, down to the very hour.  That is very meaningful to me.  He had a job to do that came with great cost and sacrifice and he did his job well.  But he longed for his home and his family and he loved his farm.  In fact when leading his troops into battle, he spoke the following: (I think Fratres means 'brothers'):  Dialogue Credit

[addressing his troops]
Maximus: Fratres!
[cavalry addresses Maximus]
Maximus: Three weeks from now, I will be harvesting my crops. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the line! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!
[cavalry laughs]
Maximus: Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity. 

In what could have been his last act, he envisioned doing what he loved - farming and being with his family.  He was looking forward to the harvest as any farmer does.  Then he spoke the profound phrase : "Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity."  

And it is true, what we do in life really does echo in eternity.  Decisions, actions, choices that we make in our relatively short lives affect our eternity.  And those same decisions, actions, and choices have the potential of affecting others around us as well.  Our days are indeed numbered and we must ensure that as we count the days, we make our days count.