Death: The Ultimate Leveler
When Telemachus reaches Pylos in search of information regarding his father, Mentor, the king of this land, begins to tell the story of Agamemnon’s death. In the middle of his tale, Mentor comments on this subject by saying “the great leveler, Death: not even the gods can defend a man.” (Homer, 115)
Throughout this story, life and death play major parts. The idea that because everyone dies, in reality we are all equal, leaps out of the pages of The Odyssey and portrays the same message to modern times. Throughout society and the world, everywhere I look, selfishness and greed lurk in the depths of each other’s minds. Society ends up taken over by desires of one another. Rarely do people think of anyone but themselves.
Yet, as Mentor implies, the humbling fact that in the end everyone will be six feet under the ground, surrounded by dirt, and half way forgotten, seems to slip their minds. What is life if your world circles around what YOU can get out of the experience? What is life if it’s about getting as much as YOU can, without thoughts of others?
We aren’t living alone on this planet. We need to realize that in order to get the best out of life, everyone should look to others for inspiration. Look outside and realize what the world offers. If more people looked at life as a group effort instead of a one-person team, the world may not be better or healthier, but everyone might open their eyes to what’s right in front of them.
