My Inner Spartan

I recently became entranced with the movie "The 300", and found myself watching not only that movie, but also "The 300 Spartans" (a 50's film) and a history channel special about it. At first, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't stop thinking about it. And then I remembered that when I was about 7 years old, I heard a story about a Spartan boy and I remember thinking that I really wanted to be that boy. Here is the story:

Spartan children were taught stories of courage and fortitude. One favorite story was about a boy who followed the Spartan code. He captured a live fox and intended to eat it. Although boys were encouraged to scrounge for food, they were punished if caught. The boy noticed some Spartan soldiers coming, and hid the fox beneath his shirt. When the soldiers confronted him, he allowed the fox to chew into his stomach rather than confess, and showed no sign of pain in his body or face. This was the Spartan way.

I wonder now how deeply my life was shaped by this vision of what courage and fortitude look like. I was 7 years old... and I wanted to be that boy! I think that maybe I am that boy on many levels. And I wonder how can I save that boy and at the same time honor and safeguard his strength and determination, his courage and his success.