Quote Originally Posted by Slawen
Oh, no, it isn't a matter of history, not in essantial meaning. This is a question of influence of mythic to forming the cultural foundation of collective awarenes.

I'm Serb. Almost every Europian nation, so the Serbs, have their own version of Thermopilas. Our is Kosovo.

In the year 1389, Serbs fough against the Turk's invasion. Kosovo, the genuine Serb's land, was ordered for battlefield. But, unlike Spartans, Serbs haven't even try to circumvent hundred time numbered Turks. There wasn't any ilusion in Serbs victory. Serbs knew they all will be killed and their efforts are purposeless. And things went that way.
However, five centuries after battle which bring slavery to Serbs, the myth of Kosovo was living in the Serb nation and helped Serbs to rise against Turks. That was the power of victory Serbs obtain despite Turks military success. Do you think they haven't knew story about Spartans and Thermopilas?
Dear Slawen,

If given a chance, I would prefer to go with this "Kosovo version". This article gives us some information about the famous battle of Kosovo in 1389 under the title KOSOVO AND METOHIA IN THE SERBIAN HISTORY.

Here is some relevant excerpts from the above article.

As known from history, the advance of the Turks towards Europe was a rather slow process. Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic and Serbian nobility in the famous battle of Kosovo in 1389 did everything humanly possible to stop the Turkish invasion toward south eastern Europe. It was not only a clash of two armies led by their rulers Serbian prince Lazar and Turkish sultan Murat (who both perished in the battle of Kosovo), but also a clash of two civilizations, one Christian and European and other Islamic and Asiatic. Read More.....

Source: Slavenko TERZIC, Ph.D.
Historical institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts


Friend Slawen, I can see that they didn't simply give up. They fought like any other true warrior and in the end Prince sacrificed his life for his country. Anyway, we are free to chose our own version of history and there is no one there to stop us. I would rather prefer to be positive and fight and lay down our life for the betterment of my country over giving up in the beginning itself.

I am from India and we can count so many instances where we fought and just fought for our freedom without giving it a second thought. On many occasions, you would be calling it a suicide but IT WAS NOT. We call it self sacrifice for something good. Let me give you three exapmles from Indian history to bring home my point of view.

Mahatma Gandhi - Father of the nation who gave us (India) freedom from the British rule. Even mighty British couldn't imagine that one single person can do any harm to them and that also when Mahatma teaches non-violence. You would be surprised to know that he won freedom for us without a single bullet.

By means of nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi helped bring about India's independence from British rule, inspiring other colonial peoples to work for their own independence and ultimately dismantling the British Empire. Gandhi's principle of satyagraha (from Sanskrit; satya for truth and agraha for endeavour), often translated as "way of truth" or "pursuit of truth", has inspired other freedom activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Stephen Biko, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Nelson Mandela. However, not all these leaders kept to Gandhi's strict principle of nonviolence and nonresistance. Read More...


Maha Rana Pratap - a great warrior - He died fighting for his nation, for his people, and most importantly for his honor. In 1576, the famous battle of Haldighati was fought with 20,000 Rajputs against a Mughal army of 80,000 men commanded by Raja Man Singh. The battle was fierce though indecisive, to the Mughal army's astonishment. Read More.....


1971 India-Pakistan War: Battle of Longewal - The Battle of Longewal, fought in the deserts of the Indian state of Rajasthan, merits inclusion in any account of the 1971 India-Pakistan war because of the sheer audacity of the Pakistani generals who had planned it. Had it succeeded, India would have lost thousands of kilometres of a vast expanse of desert. But there is a fine line between the daring and the foolhardy. Did Pakistani generals cross that dividing line?

The Pakistani plan was no less ambitious and a surprise attack was launched along the Gabbar-Longewal axis. The main axis lay to the north, connecting the Indian town of Jaisalmir with the Pakistani town of Islamgarh and Rahimiyar Khan beyond it. The intruding Pakistani armoured column and accompanying towed artillery was spotted by an Indian patrol on 4th December after it had come 16 km into Indian territory. The first reports were dismissed, until the enemy took up position just 300 metres away from the isolated Indian Army company located at Longewal. The unit had no anti-tank weapons or mines. The Pakistanis could have overrun the post within hours. But the Indian company commander, Major Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, showed presence of mind by bringing in the company's recoilless guns and heavy machine guns and directing concentrated and sustained fire at the enemy positions. The Pakistanis were taken aback by the extent of the fire and felt that the Indians must have a much larger force at Longewal than reported by their Intelligence. Instead of storming the post and carrying on to Jaisalmir as was the plan, the Pakistanis encircled the post and decided to set up their artillery to soften it up before attacking. Read More....

Similarly, not only I anyone can quote so many instances from their history, culture, religion that would support one point of view wherein we can distinguish between a suicide and self-sacrifice for some good reasons and NOT for personal gains.