Mishmash Musings

I’m currently listening to a series of literary lectures, and one of the topics being discussed is the heroic code as it applies to classical epic poetry. In ancient Greece, for example, there was a sort of “contract” between the hero and the city he represented. During the hero’s lifetime, he would enjoy elevated status in society and would always have the finest food, wine, women, armor, and horses available.

He would repay this bounty by laying down his life in battle — with the understanding that his fame would live on through the centuries. (Think of Book II of The Iliad, which contains a seemingly endless list of names of Greek warriors who were fighting in Troy.)

That brought up an interesting question: would you rather live the high life and die young (with everlasting fame as your reward), or would you rather live a long, full life and die peacefully in your sleep at a ripe old age and be forgotten forever?

I would have to go with the latter, since I don’t see much value in dying in a brutal battle far away from home. I would much rather live a long, quiet, happy life surrounded by friends and family. (Then again, I’ve always been a homebody anyway!)