It is said that no one can defy destiny. It is believed that no one can escape their fate. If one is fated to die, no matter what he does, he will die one way or another. No matter how much effort he does to escape his fate, it will find him no
matter where he goes. Destiny and fate cannot be evaded nor dodged. The Greeks believe that their gods control their lives. The gods hold their destiny and fate.It is true that if one is fated to die, it will surely happen but one can slightly change or alter how his fate will dawn upon him. Usually, in role-playing games, the main character is able to change his fate by his own will, slightly, or even better completely, altering it. Is it evading ones fate truly impossible or can fate itself can be fooled?
The Greeks believe that everything happens because the gods willed it to happen. But does this mean that if they are fated to die, their skills and abilities will serve them no good? I believe otherwise. Books 12-17 are full of wars. Achaians gaining control over the Trojans and vice-versa, gods intervening in their battles and deaths all through out. Many great warriors are mentioned, like Hector, Menaleus, Patroclus, Great Ajax and others. It is evident that they have the strength and knowledge in war but is that useless against fate? Most of them are fated to die and surely it will happen. Gods favor one over the other yet they give inspiration. It is up to them to use their knowledge and skill in battle. Even if they are inspired by the gods themselves, if they do not have specialization in war, they have no chance. It is evident that even those favored by the gods are overpowered by the opposing team. Hector, who was given strength by Apollo, charges through the ranks of the Achaians. But, even so, he still retreated after seeing Patroclus, who was in Achilles's armor. Even if one is given power and strength by even a god, there is always someone who overpowers him. What is fated is what will happen in the end but what happens in between is up to them. They can choose to fight, like Hector who knows that he is fated to die, or hide and live a normal life, like Achilles who is also fated to die. The ends are the same but what happens in between is solely upon them.
Fate is something that all of us have. All humans are fated to die one day. We will never know when will that be. What we do know is we will die someday. However, that doesn't mean that we should live life in fear of that day. Each one of us should
live their life fully. One person said to me that "No matter what you choose, if God doesn't plan that for you, you will never be happy." God has a plan for each and everyone of us. He gives us signs to let us know what he wills for us. Yet it is
up to us if we want to listen to him. We are born for greater things. This is what God has planned. But no matter how He persists, if we do not heed His call, its useless. So my question to you now is: Will you succumb to fate or build you own?
The Epic of Homer:
"Two cities seeking power. Two champions against each other for Helen. Gods and goddesses siding between the two. Who will claim victory?"
Friday, October 15, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Glory or Love. Make your choice.
Achilles is known as the great and invincible warrior of Achaia. He is believed to be impenetrable against all kinds of attacks. He is said to be "immortal". He is said to be "undefeatable". He is feared by everyone even by his own men. Soldiers crumble and their knees shake by the mere saying of his name. It is believed that when Thetis, Achilles' mother, gave birth to him, she dipped her into the river Styx which made Achilles invulnerable to all attacks and mortal weapons except for one part of his body, his heel or what we now call the Achilles tendon, which was held by Thetis. Despite of all this, have you ever wondered if he is a better king than Agamemnon? Will he be different than the current king of the Achaians and lead them to victory?
As I have stated before, Agamemnon took Breiseis from Achilles, which angered him to the point of backing out of the battle. Agamemnon is stubbornly greedy. Stubbornness can be positive or negative but for Agamemnon, it is fully negative for he only thought to himself and only himself. It shown in the previous books that Agamemnon is the greedy antagonist while Achilles is the abused protagonist. But have you ever thought of Achilles' traits? We can say that he is good but is that really true? Achilles is also stubborn like Agamemnon; the only difference is Achilles has a reason for being stubborn. But is it really for the good of the people or just himself? Like Agamemnon, Achilles only thought of himself when he rejected the Achaians' offers to return to battle if given Agamemnon's riches. It is true that he has a good reason for doing so but should a king leave his people to die in vain just because of one man's foolishness or his sole desire? Agamemnon has shown great desperateness to bring Achilles back to his army but Achilles effortlessly, and without a second thought, rejects. He left the Achaians and the Myrmidons, his people, to die on the battlefield while he lives a comfortable life awaiting his fated death. Agamemnon, however, didn't give up. He goes to Patroclus, Achilles's friend, to tell to try to convince Achilles to rejoin the battle. Agamemnon is clearly desperate as he even said to him that he could just wear Achilles's armor to boost the Achaians's morale. Achilles has shown a great grudge for Agamemnon for his insults and he only wanted the demise of Agamemnon and Achaia even if it means sacrificing his people.
As a king, I can say that he has shown not a single care for his people just because of Agamemnon. He only cared for himself and his prize, Breseis. He only wanted to achieve his revenge against Agamemnon, yet not hearing the pleas of help of his fellow soldiers. He is just as stubborn as the one he despises. I can say that they are almost one and the same. As a soldier, he is believed to have an aura around during battle for his enemies tremble and his allies becomes courageous by the mere sight of him. He is also believed to give victory because of his ability, his invulnerability to any sort of mortal weapon. But everything that his mother, Thetis, and the gods have given him, it is quite a shame that he cannot exercise this during the disavantage of Achaia. His ability is proved to be worthless if he doesn't want to fight for his people and fellow soldiers. He is a coward for fleeing the battle, a battle where he is clearly needed. He has everything he
needs to overthrow Hector and Troy but instead, he flees and lives his peaceful life. Everything that was given to him is wasted. If you are Achilles, which would you prefer? The love of you life or the glory given to you by your people?
As I have stated before, Agamemnon took Breiseis from Achilles, which angered him to the point of backing out of the battle. Agamemnon is stubbornly greedy. Stubbornness can be positive or negative but for Agamemnon, it is fully negative for he only thought to himself and only himself. It shown in the previous books that Agamemnon is the greedy antagonist while Achilles is the abused protagonist. But have you ever thought of Achilles' traits? We can say that he is good but is that really true? Achilles is also stubborn like Agamemnon; the only difference is Achilles has a reason for being stubborn. But is it really for the good of the people or just himself? Like Agamemnon, Achilles only thought of himself when he rejected the Achaians' offers to return to battle if given Agamemnon's riches. It is true that he has a good reason for doing so but should a king leave his people to die in vain just because of one man's foolishness or his sole desire? Agamemnon has shown great desperateness to bring Achilles back to his army but Achilles effortlessly, and without a second thought, rejects. He left the Achaians and the Myrmidons, his people, to die on the battlefield while he lives a comfortable life awaiting his fated death. Agamemnon, however, didn't give up. He goes to Patroclus, Achilles's friend, to tell to try to convince Achilles to rejoin the battle. Agamemnon is clearly desperate as he even said to him that he could just wear Achilles's armor to boost the Achaians's morale. Achilles has shown a great grudge for Agamemnon for his insults and he only wanted the demise of Agamemnon and Achaia even if it means sacrificing his people.
As a king, I can say that he has shown not a single care for his people just because of Agamemnon. He only cared for himself and his prize, Breseis. He only wanted to achieve his revenge against Agamemnon, yet not hearing the pleas of help of his fellow soldiers. He is just as stubborn as the one he despises. I can say that they are almost one and the same. As a soldier, he is believed to have an aura around during battle for his enemies tremble and his allies becomes courageous by the mere sight of him. He is also believed to give victory because of his ability, his invulnerability to any sort of mortal weapon. But everything that his mother, Thetis, and the gods have given him, it is quite a shame that he cannot exercise this during the disavantage of Achaia. His ability is proved to be worthless if he doesn't want to fight for his people and fellow soldiers. He is a coward for fleeing the battle, a battle where he is clearly needed. He has everything he
needs to overthrow Hector and Troy but instead, he flees and lives his peaceful life. Everything that was given to him is wasted. If you are Achilles, which would you prefer? The love of you life or the glory given to you by your people?
Friday, October 1, 2010
Stubbornness of Heart...
Stubbornness is an attitude where a person follows what he believes and what he desires. When one is stubborn, he or she won't be affected by what others are thinking or saying. Yes, it may sound positive but mind you, sometimes it isn't. When one craves for another's belonging or when one steals for his own desires, it turns into a sin. It can be acquainted with recklessness. People often mistake recklessness as courage. Recklessness is when one charges his or her opponent head on, not even considering the consequences. And if one is stubborn about it, it can lead to some unpleasant results including death. When being too stubborn, one can be enveloped in greed and lust. In the book Illiad, Agamemnon is an example of a person who took stubbornness to heart.
If I ask you what characteristic should a president have, what would you answer? Kind? Smart? Honest?
Well, for me, I would answer, Just. A king shouldn't forget the kingdom he rules over and the people he guides. If a king forgets his kingdom or if he abuses the power given to him by both god and man, then he does not have the right
to be called king.In the book Illiad, King Agamemnon, lord over Sparta, is like the corrupted government officials we have today. He has shown extreme stubbornness that a person shouldn't even have. One instance is when he ignored the pleas of Chryses, favored priest of Apollo, to bring Chryseis back. This angered Apollo severely, bringing his wrath upon Sparta and bringing the people to their knees. In spite of this, Agamemnon, having absolutely no shame, ignored the pleas of his people and kept Chryseis in his possession. He did not care for his people that greatly needed him; he only cared for his beloved prize. He only wanted to keep her because she was his prize even if he didn't work. If Chryseis was taken from him, he would be the only one who has no prize. He considered himself high above all and he only cared for his own desires. But, alas, he cannot stand up against Apollo, an olympian god, and so he let Chryseis back to the priest. Still, he didn't learn from his mistake. He took Brieses from Achilles. Agamemnon took his prize and claimed it as his. Agamemnon took the fruits of his hardwork. This angered Achilles greatly to the point of walking out on the meeting. He even called on his demi-god mother, Thetis, to tell her the insult he received from Agamemnon. Thetis, on the otherhand, felt sorry for her son and told Zeus everything Agamemnon did. This resulted in the war between Sparta and Troy, which later would be called the Trojan war. In one fell swoop, he already made two enemies; Apollo, an olypian god, and Achilles, previously Agamemnon's ally. It is really evident that if one is too stubborn, it would only yield in unwanted results. In another instance, he showed his stubborness to all, both Troy and Sparta, as he insisted the battle to be his win. He insisted that his champion, Menalaus, is the winner even though it is evident that Paris wasn't dead yet.
One's stubbornness can bring about unwanted enemies. It even converts allies into enemies. In our modern time, a lot of people exhibits the same stubbornness that Agamemnon has. People engaging in rallys often bring about trouble. It is not because of the fact that they are engaging in rallys that brings trouble but because they are stubborn. They are given the right to express their thoughts but sometimes, they go beyond the line and cross the limitation given to them. Even if the police and other officials are already there to stop them, they insist that they should continue. This brings about chaos and disarray in the streets. They want to do what they desire even if it disturbs others. Criminals are often stubborn, especially drug dealers. They insist that what they are doing is a job and it helps their children but, in truth, they just teach them that what they do is right even though it is evidently illegal. Stubbornness can either be positive and negative and it depends solely upon you
If I ask you what characteristic should a president have, what would you answer? Kind? Smart? Honest?
Well, for me, I would answer, Just. A king shouldn't forget the kingdom he rules over and the people he guides. If a king forgets his kingdom or if he abuses the power given to him by both god and man, then he does not have the right
to be called king.In the book Illiad, King Agamemnon, lord over Sparta, is like the corrupted government officials we have today. He has shown extreme stubbornness that a person shouldn't even have. One instance is when he ignored the pleas of Chryses, favored priest of Apollo, to bring Chryseis back. This angered Apollo severely, bringing his wrath upon Sparta and bringing the people to their knees. In spite of this, Agamemnon, having absolutely no shame, ignored the pleas of his people and kept Chryseis in his possession. He did not care for his people that greatly needed him; he only cared for his beloved prize. He only wanted to keep her because she was his prize even if he didn't work. If Chryseis was taken from him, he would be the only one who has no prize. He considered himself high above all and he only cared for his own desires. But, alas, he cannot stand up against Apollo, an olympian god, and so he let Chryseis back to the priest. Still, he didn't learn from his mistake. He took Brieses from Achilles. Agamemnon took his prize and claimed it as his. Agamemnon took the fruits of his hardwork. This angered Achilles greatly to the point of walking out on the meeting. He even called on his demi-god mother, Thetis, to tell her the insult he received from Agamemnon. Thetis, on the otherhand, felt sorry for her son and told Zeus everything Agamemnon did. This resulted in the war between Sparta and Troy, which later would be called the Trojan war. In one fell swoop, he already made two enemies; Apollo, an olypian god, and Achilles, previously Agamemnon's ally. It is really evident that if one is too stubborn, it would only yield in unwanted results. In another instance, he showed his stubborness to all, both Troy and Sparta, as he insisted the battle to be his win. He insisted that his champion, Menalaus, is the winner even though it is evident that Paris wasn't dead yet.
One's stubbornness can bring about unwanted enemies. It even converts allies into enemies. In our modern time, a lot of people exhibits the same stubbornness that Agamemnon has. People engaging in rallys often bring about trouble. It is not because of the fact that they are engaging in rallys that brings trouble but because they are stubborn. They are given the right to express their thoughts but sometimes, they go beyond the line and cross the limitation given to them. Even if the police and other officials are already there to stop them, they insist that they should continue. This brings about chaos and disarray in the streets. They want to do what they desire even if it disturbs others. Criminals are often stubborn, especially drug dealers. They insist that what they are doing is a job and it helps their children but, in truth, they just teach them that what they do is right even though it is evidently illegal. Stubbornness can either be positive and negative and it depends solely upon you
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