The Worst Punishment in the History of Mankind

The phrase "the gauntlet will be run" is appended to many slogans for criticizing someone or overcoming the difficult challenges. While originally it is a brutal form of punishment from a time long past, the modern diversionary system is seen as a therapeutic practice that helps the inmates improve their thinking processes.

In 16th century, 'running the gauntlet' turned out to be a brutal punishment that was applied by many cultures and military entities. One of the most notable primary case is among the Landsknechts, the German mercenaries notorious for their toughness and unique styles of dress. In case of frequent offenses by landsknechts, they have to run between two rows of their companions whom are supposed to hit them with horn-handled swords until death. In spite of its brutality, however, this punishment, which otherwise, was a desirable mechanism of death, was viewed by the Landsknecht as an honorable death.

The word "gauntlet" should be coming from the Swedish "gatlopp," which was mis-spelt as "gantelope" or "gantlope. "" Over the history of this word, the usage of it in the English language evolved, which in turn made the phrase run the gauntlet the way we use it today.

The broader line of the Landsknechts served only to mark the general character of the rule: running the gauntlet. In Prussia, soldiers were also convicted and granted an equally brutal sentence: they were forced to take off their jackets, while they were walking between the lines of their comrades and beaten with sticks. Besides the sailors of the British roy alnavy who could have endured the gauntlet for minor infractions as they ran across the ship's deck with the sailors’ blows.

Rather than only being a death sentence, the gauntlet was sometimes just a way to scare someone’s senses into motion. Certain cultures saw the successful endurance of the awful life as a way to start over (clean slate). To illustrate, John Stark, an Am[erican] military officer, told the story of his capture by the Ab[a]naki tribe, where he passed the ordeal of the gauntlet comparatively unharmed. Also, scout Simon Kenton had to run the metal clapper several times after being captured by the Shawnee tribe.

Nowadays, their ritual of running the gauntlet is regulated in countless ways. Squares of Battle exist in-game in sports such as lacrosse, ice hockey, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu where players or students have to steer between the lines of opponents or peers. Nevertheless even this time the violence is symbolic as a test and not real, for otherwise it could serve as a punishment.

Besides this, the modern day internet language also allows for new expression of the phrase ‘going through the gauntlet’. Web pages together with the "Run the Gauntlet Challenge", along the way, make up the viewers to see worse and worse videos, breaking their limit and tolerance of the virtual world.

Although the origin of running gauntlet can be traced back to the dark ages of punishment, its modern variations show the prowess and capability of humans to adapt and make those old traditions more meaningful. The unbelievably horrendous ordeal which was once the penal punishment has been turned into a bearing ritual in different cultures nowadays. The ability to withstand the difficulties, be it physical or figurative, becomes a proof that people have a remarkable prevailing human power regardless of the hardships they face.

The elastic history of the "running the gauntlet" reflects the shift that the use of the punishment from bloody one to a symbolic ritual. Traditionally employed as a form of corporal punishment in military formations and societies, the procedure has since become more of a ritual through which proficiency in skill and endurance is demonstrated. In modern cases like sports and martial arts the practice has been 'elevated' and is now viewed as a ritual. Although its history as well as its name imply violence, the capability to journey the long way whether being physical or metaphorical affords a message of inherent continuation of human traditions under the banner of the spirit of the search for solutions.