I am Spartacus: Belonging Demands Courage

The most iconic moment in Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus comes near the end of the film. The slave revolt has been crushed, and a few hundred survivors—including Spartacus—are captured. The Roman consul Crassus offers to spare their lives if they identify Spartacus.

Spartacus rises to surrender, but before he can, the men chained beside him stand and declare, “I am Spartacus.” One after another, every survivor does the same, fully aware they are choosing death. They are choosing solidarity over self-preservation, belonging over survival.

It’s a cinematic scene, but also a mirror held up to human nature. Belonging isn’t just a warm emotion—it’s a decision. It asks something of us.

Those men weren’t simply protecting Spartacus; they were protecting the idea that they were more together than they were alone. Their collective “I” created a powerful “we.”

In modern America, we often flip that script. We say we love our towns, but we prefer low-risk involvement. We want the benefits of community without the vulnerability of belonging to one.

We cheer for our city. We wear the shirts. We attend the festivals. But do we ever rise and risk anything by saying, “I am Republic”—and living like it? (The author of this blog lives in Republic, Missouri).

To declare that is to accept responsibility. It’s to recognize that the health of our community depends, in part, on us.

“I am Republic” means picking up trash on your walk even when no one sees you. It means watching out for the elderly couple down the street. It means showing up when the city celebrates and also when it struggles. It means choosing connection over convenience, attending a school board meeting to listen rather than argue, or joining Rotary to serve your neighbors.

Belonging is the willingness to say that who we are is tied to the people around us—not just the ones we like or agree with, but all of them.

In a culture that celebrates individualism, it feels countercultural to announce, “I am part of something bigger than myself.” Yet that is exactly why it matters. Neighborhoods weaken when people stop seeing themselves as part of a shared story. Cities decline when residents feel disconnected from their place and its future.

The good news? Belonging begins with small acts—care, presence, humility, responsibility. 

Imagine what could shift if more of us lived this way—not out of pride, but out of responsibility. Not because we must, but because we belong.

Belonging that strong can change a city. It begins with each of us saying, in our own small way: I am here. I am part of this. I am one of us.

Written by David L. Burton

MORE INFORMATION

Take the Engaged Neighbor pledge and become part of a movement! The pledge outlines five categories and 20 principles to guide you toward becoming an engaged neighbor. Sign the pledge at https://nomoregoodneighbors.com. Individuals who take the pledge do get special invitations to future events online and in person. Contact the blog author, David L. Burton via emal at dburton541@yahoo.com.