Jarrod Cook

Mrs. Hoffman

Adv. English 12

20 September 2004

The Odyssey of My Life

The Odyssey of my Life

The meaning of life has puzzled human kind since our existence, but one thing is known, life is a journey. Like Odysseus, human kind strives to overcome immense hardships throughout life, in hopes of one day finishing the race. What motivates a person to live and complete their odyssey can only be a godly presence, which resides inside the human soul and makes promises of what is to come. Just as others before me, I will complete my journey and satisfy my curiosity of what will become of me once my life is complete. I have encountered many hardships in my life, but none have proven stronger than the will power I have inside my every cell. I will continue to overcome obstacles until the day I am sent to the great beyond. Odysseus refused to give in to the pain and torture that was dealt to him by the gods and I will do likewise. Temptation lurks behind every corner waiting like a lion on the prowl for me to step into its trap. I try to resist the urge to peek around these corners of lies and deceit, but my curiosity may sometimes lead me astray. Through these hardships my eyes must stayed fixed on my goal and on what good will come from my sufferings. Life is fragile and death cannot be foreseen; therefore, it is a necessity that I live my live for today while keeping in mind the future that I could have. What keeps me going is the feeling that resides inside of me that when my odyssey is complete I will find my reward waiting me, much like Odysseus found his reward in his family.

I have had many hardships in my life just as Odysseus has had in his journeys. I did not give up when I met these hardships but instead tried even harder out of spite. I was six years old, and I had been using training wheels for quite sometime. My family and I were camping, and my grandfather decided I should learn to ride on two wheels. After several hours of practice I was finally able to keep the bike in equilibrium and ride up and down the path by our campsite. My cousin, who had been riding on two wheels for quite some time, decided we should go on a bike ride, to which I gladly agreed. We eventually came to a narrow bridge suspended ten feet above a river below. I stopped at the bridge for a while before building up my courage and peddling across. I hit about the middle of the bridge when something went horribly wrong and I plunged toward the cold water below. The current swept off my jacket, my bicycle was wedged between rocks, and I was racing for the bank. This event was traumatic and made me nervous toward riding the bike again. Odysseus faced this same problem during the war with the Trojans. Odysseus was unable to get his army through the walls of troy and was on the brink of defeat. Odysseus did not give up, instead he devised a cunning plan to outwit the Trojans and end the war in a victory for the Greeks. I also refused to give up, but I decided that I would stay away from dangerous areas until I developed my skills. With more practice I was able to face down any bridge that stood in my way with confidence, knowing that I had the skills to cross it. I took this same attitude with any other obstacle that has stood in my way and continue to overcome them to this very day.

Temptation is a big problem that exists in every person’s life; no one is exempt from its power. The only way to beat temptation is to resist as much as possible and not get into situations where this temptation will be a problem. Odysseus was forced to face several temptations that were put before him by the gods. He was able to resist many temptations, but became weak and gave in to some. I continue to face the same temptations everyday, but I have learned to overcome many of these through the years. When I was younger telling the truth was a big problem for me, if telling the truth would get me in trouble. I have a younger sister and at this time she was only three or four so I could easily blame stuff on her. Oftentimes my parents would figure out it was not my sister and that it was in fact me and I would get in even more trouble. This made me realize that telling lies does not pay off and that telling the truth is the way to go. Now I try to make sure that I never lie, but I still tend to exaggerate stories a little bit. Other than the problem mentioned before, I rarely have problems with other temptations. Church seems to be an excellent way to keep temptation in check. The sermons always talk about how to resist temptations and how to handle them when people run into bad situations. I had a larger problem with temptation when I was younger, since I was uneducated as to the rules of society. Odysseus was tempted by the gods several times, and because they were gods, was unable to resist them. When the gods were not the ones tempting Odysseus, he was able to keep his urges in check. On Helios’ island, Odysseus was able to restrain himself from killing any of Helios’ flock. His crew was unable to repress their hunger though, and they killed one of Helios’ animals, bringing a great punishment down upon them. By keeping a level head and an ever-conscious watch, temptation can be avoided with little effort.

Goals must be set in everyone’s life in order to create a reason for living and something for which to strive. This desire lies in every human soul and suicide and sin is often a last resort after a reason to live for has been lost. I have had many goals throughout my life, to better myself and mold my future into something great. Many of my goals have been set upon academics, and I often try to excel in school so that I may one day achieve a high status in society. My personal goal in school is to attain A’s in all the classes that I take in high school. Sometimes I fail to achieve my goal on certain assignments, but I just make sure I work harder on the next one to make up for it. Throughout my four years in high school, I have been able to accomplish my goal, and I hope to accomplish it this year also. When I started my first job at the local McDonald’s, I decided to work hard and follow procedure so that I could be promoted and receive good raises. I have done very well in this area and currently hold the position of crew trainer, the highest position someone under the age of eighteen can attain. These goals are just short-term goals though; I have several long-term goals, which may take my whole life to complete. I plan to raise a family and I am determined to give a good life to my children and wife, which is why I must follow my goals of working hard in high school. I want to pass my ideals and values onto my own children so that even when I pass on my spirit will continue to live within them. Odysseus had many similar goals too, and he refused to give up even when it seemed impossible to accomplish them. It seemed that all had been lost during the Trojan War but Odysseus refused to give up; he developed a plan to outsmart the Trojans. Odysseus’ biggest goal throughout his journey was to see his family once again. He did eventually achieve this goal, but it was after many hardships that he came to accomplish it. Poseidon inflicted as much pain as possible onto Odysseus, but he never gave up. Goals should never be forgotten, because if one tries hard enough one will accomplish one’s goal.

The Odyssey is the offspring of the low and high points that are felt in the lives of every human being. My personal odyssey can be related to Odysseus’ in many ways, not just the few mentioned above. Life is precious and should be treated that way and not tossed out like yesterday’s newspaper. Even when life hits rock bottom there is always something for which to look forward. Odysseus looked forward to seeing his family again for all twenty of the years he spent lost from them. Everyday is an adventure and I look forward to it, because I never know what will happen that day. Curiosity drives me to do new things and I take in everything I see, so that I may learn as much as possible during my existence on this planet. I will continue to create my odyssey until the day I die, and maybe even beyond that.