"The Maximus Legacy" is the home of author and former Lieutenant T.D. Mack. But you're here to find out what it means and where the name came from, so let's begin with broadly examining the name concept before zeroing-in on some personal aspects—which I believe will resonate with you!
Maximus is a Latin word that translates to "the greatest," while Legacy refers to the birthright of an heir or what is left behind, as in an inheritance. One might interpret this as meaning "the greatest inheritance" as in what is the greatest thing you have inherited, or what is the greatest thing you will leave behind? In law enforcement, a son or daughter of an officer who joins the force is often referred to as a legacy. However, a legacy carries a great weight of expectations. When a police agency hires such an individual, they do so with first-hand knowledge of the reputation and character of their parent who served before them. Consequently, there are typically high expectations for the young adult son or daughter who follows in their parent's footsteps! (You'll notice that the protagonist of my novel, Jace Connor, is the son of a famed LAPD SWAT commander—therefore he is a "legacy.")
But there's more. Often a person with a leadership role has the power to command others due to their positional authority and in the best case that power is validated through proven and trusted performance. In almost every aspect of functional leadership respect is given where honor is due. A leader can become a boss, a manager, or merely a supervisor who assures that the assigned processes are being done by their subordinates. Unexpectedly, this idea was turned upside-down when Jesus discovered his closest friends arguing about which of them would be the greatest among them. They believed that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah and that he would become a king on Earth and therefore they would have a special place in his kingdom. He told them, ”The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.“* In Jesus' case, he didn't just tell them this—he proved it as he sacrificially cared for them over and over again. While Jesus was "the Greatest" and truly taught as one who had great power and authority he behaved as a humble servant to those he loved.
That's pretty big stuff, but that example has lasted a couple thousand years permeating many important leadership cultures—including the most elite special operations units within military and law enforcement. Think "extreme ownership" or "servant-leadership." I'll give you a brief example.
During my 25+ years in law enforcement, I had the honor to work on a large SWAT team in a major metropolitan area. I noted something distinctly different about the team leaders and commander from other supervisors I had. Yes, they knew how to command their teams with authority. But that authority did not come from barking orders from afar, rather these men led from the front. They didn't tell us what to do, where to go, how to do it. Rather they showed us what, where and how. All of the team leaders and commander participated in the demanding tactical training, physical conditioning, and weapons training—where the team leaders were often the most proficient among us. They would get to training early and leave late. They ran shoulder-to-shoulder with their team members. Even after a hot day at the range, those team leaders would get down in the dirt and pick up the brass with their operators. They wouldn't ask one of their guys to do something they weren't willing to do themselves. Their example of servant-leadership promoted a very strong sense of trust in their leadership. And as you can image, in the case of a SWAT team, we were asked to do very difficult and dangerous things.
Right before I joined the SWAT team, there was a movie staring Russell Crowe called Gladiator, and his name was Maximus. It was pretty epic and it really resonated with a lot of men. If you've not seen it, I'll explain that the protagonist, Maximus, had been a great and highly-respected general in the Roman Legions (positional authority). He was so beloved by his troops that the Emperor saw his leadership potential and intended to pass the throne to him when he died. But that was not how the story went. The Emperor's wicked son killed his own father, and out of envy sent the order to kill Maximus. The hero was gravely wounded as he escaped the assassination attempt. When he traveled home to his wife and only child, he found they had both been murdered by orders of the new Emperor. Maximus finally found himself sold into slavery, where he ended up being used for entertainment in the brutal gladiatorial games. It was here, that this slave rose up and inspired the other gladiators and the people of Rome, it was also the chance for Maximus to confront the evil Emperor in a final battle. I won't spoil the ending, but he was a great hero with great character and a great name: Maximus!
Now I'm going to get even more personal—and painfully transparent! As I was embarking on training with the SWAT team, my current teammates started "honoring" me by whispering, "mack-si-mus, Mack-si-mus, MACK-SI-MUS..." over and over until it crescendoed into a roar. The fellas would "stack up" in the hallway to make entry into our office—yes—like a SWAT team. The guys no longer called me by my name but insisted on calling me "Maximus." This would be pretty cool except it wasn't because they thought of me as the greatest, rather they were messing with me. I definitely was the least among my amazing peers and yet I was the one amongst us who tested for and was accepted onto the SWAT team. They are good friends who can run with you shoulder-to-shoulder toward the sound of gunfire, yet when it's all over can give you a good-spirited and humbling kick in the gut when appropriate.
So here's what this name has to do with you. If you're here, its because you likely have a sense that the world is a dangerous place where bad things happen and you're the kind of person who either wants to be ready for those dangerous things, or just thinking of those who fight just sets your soul alight. What started off as a name for my side hustles of graphic design and tactical training has evolved into a place for you to join the tribe as I have answered this new calling of becoming a writer. With the experiences I've had and the things I've seen, I have so many stories to tell—stories which I hope will elevate your soul and call you into servant-leadership. Even now, you can hear the whispers grow louder as they call your name?
What is Your Legacy?
– T.D. "maximus" Mack
(reference from Matthew 23:11-12 ESV)
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