Your Odyssey

A classic and great poem is Odyssey , by the Greek sage Homer. This poem, and its companion Illiad, remain 2 of the most revered and influential works of literature some 1300 years after their creation. Odyssey relates the heroic tale of the titular Ulysses, as he was known in Roman myth, or Odysseus, as the Greeks called him. The poem tracks our hero on his journey home following the Trojan War. The journey takes 10 arduous and trying years. Odysseus' ordeals include the consequences of squandering precious gifts, and harsh punishments from ignoring commands and well wishes both. Odysseus spends 7 years as a captive on a remote island, among many other tribulations caused by his excessive pride. He ultimately prevails and returns home only to face further challenges which he survives with the help of his loyal family and supporters, and his cunning intelligence.  The word odyssey derives from his tale, and means "an extended and adventurous journey; an intellectual or spiritual quest."

Odyssey describes the opportunity of your lifetime. Do you want a drab, dull, predictable existence that is never even known, least of all forgotten? Or, do you choose to live a magnificent life of ordeals and triumphs, soaring victories and agonizing defeats, featuring the finest of your traits and offering plentiful chances to learn from your mistakes? The latter is the preferred path of the champion who, like Odysseus, will be forever immortalized in the written and oral history of man. Do you want to be ordinary, or do you want to be great? Choose the path of the odyssey, and maybe your name will likewise live forever.