1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:06,080 Homer, a blind poet, in the 8th century BC  composed a poem that would stand alongside   2 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:13,920 The Odyssey as the twin pillar of Western  literature; that epic poem is The Iliad.   3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:19,120 Spanning 24 books, it is a war story  about the siege of the city of Troy,   4 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,880 pitting the invading Greek armies  against the defending people of   5 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:23,732 Troy, or as you probably know them, the  Trojans. A brutal tale of gods, kings,   6 00:00:23,732 --> 00:00:23,823 and warriors fighting for glory in the Bronze  Age. But if you read it closely, you realize   7 00:00:23,823 --> 00:00:23,920 that Homer was writing a psychological study on  how human beings function under extreme pressure.  8 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:28,240 We tend to think of the heroes of The  Iliad - men like Achilles, Hector,   9 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:35,280 and Diomedes - as fearless figures who never  doubted themselves. But the text tells that these   10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:43,280 men were not immune to fear. They panicked,  they weeped, they froze, and they ran away.  11 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:48,640 Today, the battlefield has simply shifted  from the plains of Troy to the boardrooms,   12 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:53,520 businesses, and relationships of the  modern world. Human technology has changed,   13 00:00:53,520 --> 00:01:00,640 but the biological reaction to stress has not. So if you find yourself freezing in the face   14 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:06,240 of a difficult task, or waiting to feel "ready"  before you act, you are fighting the same battle   15 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:12,480 that these heroes fought 3,000 years ago. So  join me as we dive in together and take a look   16 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:18,480 at The 8 Ancient Laws for Doing Hard Things,  and how to apply them in the 21st Century,   17 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:26,080 all from the Philosophy of The Iliad. Law 1 - The Achilles Choice  18 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:30,720 Achilles, the central figure of the poem  fighting from the invading Greek side,   19 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:36,400 spends a huge portion of the story sitting in  his tent, refusing to fight. On the surface,   20 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:43,280 it looks like he is just angry at his commander.  But deeper down, Achilles is tortured by a choice.   21 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:48,320 He is the only hero in the text who knows  exactly how his life will end, and he has to   22 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:54,400 choose between two mutually exclusive futures.  His mother, the goddess Thetis, reveals to him   23 00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:01,440 the "Twofold Fate." She tells him that his  life can go one of two ways, but never both.  24 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:08,960 Option One: Go home, marry, have children  and live a long, happy, peaceful life,   25 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:14,960 but be completely forgotten. Option Two: Stay at Troy, fight,   26 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:20,960 and die young, but his name will be  remembered for thousands of years.  27 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:26,400 For a long time, Achilles is paralyzed because  he wants both. He wants the immortality of the   28 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:33,520 warrior and the longevity of the farmer. But the  turning point comes when he stops negotiating.   29 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:40,960 He realizes that "Meaning" is expensive. So he  chooses the short, glorious life. Once he accepts   30 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:47,200 that he is going to die young, his hesitation  vanishes. He storms the battlefield with a   31 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:54,400 clarity that terrifies everyone else, because  he has already accepted the worst-case scenario.  32 00:02:54,400 --> 00:03:00,160 The word "decide" comes from the Latin  decidere, which means "to cut off." To   33 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:04,640 make a real decision means to cut off  the alternative. It means killing one   34 00:03:04,640 --> 00:03:11,600 version of your future so that the other may live. We are paralyzed because we want two contradictory   35 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:17,760 things at the same time: we want the reward of  the risk, but the safety of the comfort zone.   36 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:23,200 You must choose your struggle. You must stand at  the crossroads and consciously bid farewell to   37 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:31,040 the path you are not taking. Once you accept that  every "Yes" demands a "No," the paralysis breaks.  38 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:37,280 Law 2 - The Diomedes Rule We treat courage as a prerequisite for action,   39 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:43,200 when in reality, it is a result of it. Homer  explores this truth through the character of   40 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:49,760 Diomedes. In Book 5 of The Iliad, Diomedes is  not the strongest hero like his fellow Greek   41 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:55,840 warrior Achilles, nor is he the smartest  like Odysseus. Yet, for one specific day,   42 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:02,560 he dominates the battlefield more completely  than anyone else. Why? Because he possesses a   43 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:09,920 unique psychological trait: absolute, unthinking  aggression. The text describes a moment where the   44 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:16,880 chaos of war becomes overwhelming. The battlefield  is confusing, terrifying, and blinded by dust.   45 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:22,640 Most men are paralyzed by sensory overload.  But Diomedes does not stop to process the   46 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:28,800 fear. He moves with such ferocious speed that  the goddess Athena lifts the "mist" from his   47 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:36,800 eyes. This "mist" is the cloud of confusion that  blinds mortals. Once it is lifted, Diomedes sees   48 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:44,400 the world with terrifying clarity - he can  even distinguish the gods walking among men.  49 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:50,320 Now, you’d think most mortals would be paralyzed  by the sight of a god, but Diomedes is in such a   50 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:58,000 profound state of action that he bypasses the  fear entirely. He attacks Ares, the God of War   51 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:05,040 himself. He drives his spear into the god’s belly  and sends him screaming back to Mount Olympus.   52 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:11,840 Diomedes did not wait for the mist to clear so  he could fight; he fought so hard that the mist   53 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:19,760 cleared. This reveals a psychological reality that  modern neuroscience supports: Fear lives in the   54 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:27,520 gap. It lives in the quiet space between thinking  about the task and actually doing the task. 55 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:32,960 The Diomedes Rule is the understanding that you  cannot negotiate with the gap. You must shorten   56 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:38,080 it to zero. When you have to make the cold  call, you pick up the phone and dial before   57 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:44,880 your internal monologue has a chance to speak.  The 'mist' only lifts when you are in motion. If   58 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:49,680 you want to see this in the world clearly, and if  you want to conquer the 'gods' of your own life,   59 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:55,200 you have to stop waiting for the courage  to arrive, and simply attack the day until   60 00:05:55,200 --> 00:06:02,560 the courage catches up with you. Law 3 - The Patroclus Strategy  61 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:08,080 Patroclus is the best friend of Achilles, but  he is nothing like him. While Achilles is a   62 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:15,200 ruthless killing machine, Patroclus is described  as kind, gentle, and empathetic. He is a healer,   63 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:22,320 not a destroyer. But in Book 16, the situation  becomes desperate. Achilles refuses to fight   64 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:28,000 due to his wounded pride. And without him, the  Trojan army breaks through the Greek defenses   65 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:35,600 and starts burning the ships. If the ships burn,  every Greek soldier dies. Patroclus knows he has   66 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:42,960 to act. He also knows the truth: if he runs  out there as "Patroclus," he will be ignored.  67 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:49,680 So he begs Achilles for his legendary armour. He  puts it on, along with Achilles’ famous horse-hair   68 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:56,400 crested helmet. And the moment he steps onto  the battlefield, something miraculous happens.   69 00:06:56,400 --> 00:07:03,040 He doesn't just look like Achilles; he  starts fighting like him. The Trojans panic,   70 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:08,720 believing the invincible hero has returned.  Patroclus performed feats of strength he   71 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:15,440 never could have achieved as himself, simply  because he was wearing the identity of a hero.  72 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:19,680 Studies show that if you put people  in a doctor's white lab coat, their   73 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:25,680 attention span increases. If you put them in a  formal suit, their negotiation skills improve.   74 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:31,680 The "mask" doesn't just change how others see  you; it changes how you see yourself. It signals   75 00:07:31,680 --> 00:07:37,360 to your brain that it is time to switch modes. So the next time you’re facing a high-pressure   76 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:43,440 situation yourself - say, a negotiation or a  public speech - do not go into it as your 'default   77 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:49,760 self.' Your default self is full of doubts  and insecurities. Instead, use the Patroclus   78 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:55,920 Strategy. Create an avatar. Put on the 'armor.'  This might be literal - wearing a specific 'power   79 00:07:55,920 --> 00:08:02,480 suit' or a watch that makes you feel formidable  - or it might be mental, like adopting a persona;   80 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:09,200 for example, a fictional character best suited to  that role. Wear the mask until the job is done,   81 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:16,320 and often, you will find that by the time  you take it off, the courage has become real.  82 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:22,560 Law 4 - The Odysseus Anchor In Book 2, Homer writes that a false   83 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:30,080 rumor spread through the Greek camp that the war  was over. The reaction was immediate. Thousands of   84 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:36,080 men dropped their weapons and stampeded toward  the ships, desperate to go home. They weren't   85 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:41,920 leaving because it’s the right strategic move;  they left because everyone else was running.  86 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:50,000 But in the middle of this chaos, one man stood  completely still: Odysseus. He realised that if   87 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:55,600 they got on those ships, everything would be  lost. He grabs the royal scepter and charges   88 00:08:55,600 --> 00:09:02,240 into the mob. He physically stops commanders and  shouts at them to regain their composure. He beats   89 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:09,680 soldiers who are screaming. He acts as an anchor  in a storm. Single-handedly, he stops the rush   90 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:16,800 and forces the army to face the war. This is the concept of the "Odysseus   91 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:17,810 Anchor." In any difficult endeavor -  whether it’s a bear market in crypto,   92 00:09:17,810 --> 00:09:17,908 a round of layoffs at your company, or a shift in  your industry - there will be a moment when the   93 00:09:17,908 --> 00:09:18,004 Mob runs to the ships.. Your friends will tell  you it’s over. The collective vibe will be one   94 00:09:18,004 --> 00:09:18,099 of surrender. This is the most dangerous moment  for your potential. You will feel a biological   95 00:09:18,099 --> 00:09:18,191 compulsion to join them, because running with  the herd feels safe. But The Iliad teaches us   96 00:09:18,191 --> 00:09:21,920 that safety is often just a slow form of failure. So to apply the Odysseus Anchor, you must identify   97 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:28,160 the moments where your emotions are not yours,  but reflections of the crowd. So when you feel the   98 00:09:28,160 --> 00:09:34,080 urge to quit, ask yourself: "Am I quitting because  my strategy failed? Or am I quitting because   99 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:41,920 everyone else is scared?" The ability to stand  still when the world is in chaos is a superpower.   100 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:48,240 When the mob runs to the ships, the "hard thing"  is to plant your feet, grab the scepter of your   101 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:54,800 own judgment, and stay the course. Law 5 - The Sarpedon Contract  102 00:09:54,800 --> 00:10:02,000 Homer introduces us to Sarpedon, a King and ally  of the Trojans. In Book 12, Sarpedon is about   103 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:07,920 to lead a suicide mission to storm the Greek  fortifications. The air is thick with arrows,   104 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:15,440 heavy stones are crushing skulls, and death is  almost guaranteed. In the middle of this chaos,   105 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:21,520 Sarpedon turns to his cousin Glaucus  and starts talking about dinner.  106 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:27,280 He asks a simple, haunting question:  "Glaucus, why do our people back home   107 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:32,720 give us the best seats at the banquet? Why  do they fill our cups with the finest wine?   108 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:37,680 Why do they give us the best cuts of meat  and look at us like we are gods?" A lesser   109 00:10:37,680 --> 00:10:43,200 man would have answered, "Because we are  royalty," or "Because we deserve it." But   110 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:49,440 Sarpedon sees the truth. He answers his own  question: "We get the best food and the best   111 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:56,720 seats specifically because we stand here in the  front line where the fighting is the hottest."  112 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:04,240 And in that moment, Sarpedon realized that his  life is a transaction. The luxury he enjoys isn't   113 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:11,280 a gift; it is a retainer fee. The comfort of the  palace is the currency used to pay for the terror   114 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:16,720 of the battlefield. He accepts the "Wine,"  so he is contractually obligated to accept   115 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:24,240 the "War." To take one without the other would  be theft. This is the "Sarpedon Contract." It   116 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:30,960 is the understanding that your benefits and your  burdens come together and you can’t separate them. 117 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,360 The pressure you feel isn't a sign that something  is wrong; it is the evidence that you have taken   118 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:42,080 on something meaningful. So when you feel  overwhelmed, conduct a "Privilege Audit." Look   119 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:48,480 at your plate. Look at the freedom, the money, the  trust, or the love you have in your life. That is   120 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:55,040 the Wine. The difficult conversation you have  to have today, the late night you have to work,   121 00:11:55,040 --> 00:12:00,480 the crisis you have to solve, that 5:00  AM alarm clock - that is simply the price,   122 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:05,440 the war. If you want to keep the best  seat at the banquet, you have to stop   123 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:11,360 complaining about the heat. You don't get  to eat the meat and then run from the bill.  124 00:12:11,360 --> 00:12:17,040 Law 6 - The Ajax Grind The Iliad teaches us a   125 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:23,440 brutal but necessary counter-lesson: sometimes,  victory does not look like conquering the world;   126 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:30,800 sometimes, victory just looks like not dying. Homer embodies this gritty reality in the   127 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:36,880 character of Ajax the Great. Ajax is different  from the other heroes. He doesn't have the flash   128 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:44,080 of Achilles or the cleverness of Odysseus. He  rarely receives help from the gods. He is a giant,   129 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:52,720 silent workhorse. And in Book 15, he faces the  darkest hour of the entire war. The Trojans have   130 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:58,240 broken through the defenses. They are swarming  over the walls and have reached the Greek ships   131 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:03,840 with torches. If the ships burn, the Greeks  have no way home; they will all be slaughtered   132 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:10,400 on the beach. Ajax ends up standing alone on  the deck of a ship, wielding a massive pike,   133 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:19,040 fighting off the entire Trojan army by himself. But eventually he starts to tire. He is sweating,   134 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:25,200 he is bleeding, and he is outnumbered. He  isn't advancing; in fact, he is slowly being   135 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:32,720 pushed back, inch by inch. He isn't "winning"  in the traditional sense. He is just surviving.   136 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:39,600 He shouts at the Trojans, "Come closer!" and  physically shoves them off the hull. For hours,   137 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:48,560 his entire existence is reduced to a single,  ugly metric: keep the fire away from the wood.   138 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:54,320 He knows he can't kill them all. He knows  he can't win the war today. His only job   139 00:13:54,320 --> 00:14:03,040 is to be "The Wall." His job is to endure the  pressure long enough for the others to regroup.  140 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:09,840 In your own life, you will also hit periods of  burnout, financial recession, or personal grief.   141 00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:16,400 The lesson from Ajax is that you must learn to  respect the defensive game. When your business   142 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:23,120 is hitting a recession, you don't need to try  and 10x your revenue. You just need to stand on   143 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:31,200 the deck and make payroll. Survival is a form of  success. Holding the line is a form of victory. If   144 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:38,080 you are in a dark season right now, stop beating  yourself up for not moving forward. Instead, plant   145 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:46,960 your feet. Grip the pike. Be the wall. If you are  still standing when the sun comes up, you won.  146 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:54,720 Law 7 - The Hector Protocol Hector is the prince of Troy, the perfect warrior,   147 00:14:54,720 --> 00:15:03,040 the good husband, the noble father. He is the  "brave one." But in Book 22, he finds himself   148 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:10,400 alone outside the city walls. The gates are locked  behind him. Achilles, the invincible killing   149 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:17,440 machine, is charging toward him across the plain.  At this moment, Homer writes that "shivers took   150 00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:25,040 hold of him." His nerve breaks completely. Hector  turns around and runs. He doesn't just take a step   151 00:15:25,040 --> 00:15:33,200 back; he flees in a full panic. He runs three laps  around the city of Troy. The people on the walls   152 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:40,880 are watching their champion run for his life. The  Greek army is watching. It is a moment of total   153 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:49,120 humiliation. The "hero" is having a panic attack. But eventually Hector realizes he cannot run   154 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:58,400 forever. He realizes that death is inevitable. So  he stops, plants his feet, catches his breath and   155 00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:06,400 turns around to face the man he knows will kill  him. And in that moment, he exclaims "I will run   156 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:15,840 from you no longer... now my spirit drives me to  stand and face you, kill or be killed!" And yes he   157 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:25,760 does die in the fight, but he dies facing forward. This is what’s known as the "Hector Protocol." The   158 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:31,520 lesson is that "trembling is permitted." If  you are backstage about to give a speech and   159 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:38,240 you feel like you are going to vomit - that is the  "running" and that is okay. You are not a coward;   160 00:16:38,240 --> 00:16:43,120 you are a primate with an adrenaline system.  The "Hard Thing" isn't becoming a person who   161 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:48,480 never gets scared. That person doesn't exist.  The "Hard Thing" is becoming the person who can   162 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:56,480 feel the shivers, feel the urge to flee, and then  - even if it's on the third lap - plant your feet   163 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:03,760 and turn around. Dignity isn't about winning  the fight; it's about how you face the enemy.  164 00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:09,680 Law 8 - The Priam Paradox King Priam’s son, Hector,   165 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:16,960 had been killed. Achilles, consumed by a dark and  toxic rage, is dragging Hector’s corpse behind his   166 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:25,600 chariot every day, refusing to let the family bury  him. But Priam is the King of Troy. In Book 24,   167 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:30,720 Priam’s advisors tell him to stay safe behind  the walls. They tell him to send an army or   168 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:39,520 an ambassador. But Priam knows that force has  failed. Anger has failed. Logic has failed. So,   169 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:45,200 he does the unthinkable. He fills a wagon  with treasure, and he rides out of the city   170 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:53,120 gates - alone, at night, and unarmed. He  sneaks into the Greek camp and walks into   171 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:59,920 the tent of the man who murdered his child. But he doesn't shout. He doesn't demand his   172 00:17:59,920 --> 00:18:07,360 rights. Instead he kneels. He takes the  hands of Achilles - the hands that killed   173 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:14,720 his son - and he kisses them. He says:  "I have done what no other man on earth   174 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:24,000 has done - I have kissed the hands of the man  who killed my son. Think of your own father."  175 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:31,120 This moment is the "Priam Paradox." By entering  the room with zero defense, he creates a shockwave   176 00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:39,120 that destroys Achilles' defenses. Achilles,  who could not be stopped by armies or gods,   177 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:47,680 is broken by an old man’s tears. The rage  dissolves instantly. The two enemies sit on   178 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:55,440 the floor and weep together - Priam for his son,  and Achilles for his own father. Priam walks out   179 00:18:55,440 --> 00:19:03,680 of that tent with his son’s body. He achieved  with a whisper what ten years of war could not.  180 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:09,120 The lesson is that when you are in a conflict  that seems impossible to solve - a deadlock in   181 00:19:09,120 --> 00:19:14,480 a business deal, or a marriage that is falling  apart - your Ego will tell you to fight harder.   182 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:20,480 It will tell you to prove you are right. But  the "Hard Thing" in that moment isn't fighting;   183 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:27,200 it is surrendering the high ground. Priam teaches  us that you don't always have to be the stone   184 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:36,320 wall. Sometimes, to break the cycle of conflict,  you have to be the water that flows around it. 185 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:39,680 And that's our video. What did you  think? Which of the eight laws will   186 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:43,840 you be considering more in the future? I  know you guys rarely need prompting on this,   187 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:48,240 but let us know what's on your mind in the  comments. As always, I've been Dan. You've been   188 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:52,320 awesome. And if you enjoyed this video, please  make sure to check out our full philosophies   189 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:56,560 for life playlist. And for more videos to  help you find success and happiness using   190 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:02,720 beautiful philosophical wisdom, don't forget  to subscribe. Thanks so much for watching.